Bobby's Angel
by DejaBlue1972
Summary: COMPLETE! Casefile of sorts. A woman from Bobby's past comes back into his life. BA friendship only. Chapter 28 is up and rated M for language, violence and brief nudity. Oh my! Read,review and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1 revised

**Author's notes:**

**Hi everyone. This is my first L&O: CI story, so please be gentle. This is a sort of case file story. A woman from Bobby's past comes back into his life. For all of you diehard B/A shippers out there, the only ship for them is friendship. This is rated M for language and mature adult themes (a.k.a. smut). Please read and review. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames (non-constructive criticism) are not. **

**For the record, I don't own any of the L&O:CI characters, so trying to sue me won't get you any money. **

**5/1/07: I'm resubmitting the chapters to correct the format and some grammar errors.**

**Enjoy:o)**

**Sunday, August 13  
Residence of Drew and Janelle Spencer**

The sounds of Need for Speed: Most Wanted were blaring out of the surround sound speakers. Its 2 black, male mid-30 aged players

were just as loud. Maybe a little too loud. "Watch out, Drew! Watch out! I'm gonna win this one, baby!" "Not if I can help it, sucker!

Yo ass is about to be grass!" Janelle Spencer walked into the TV room where the guys were playing. She stood in the doorway, with her

hands on her hips and tapping her foot very quickly. "EXCUSE ME!" she yelled over the all the noise. Drew picked up the remote and

muted the sound on the TV. He and DeMarco just kept on playing.

* * *

Janelle folded her arms across her chest, shifting her weight to one side. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before 

gathering the words to convey her displeasure. "Oh, HELLLLLL, no!" she finally barked. Drew paused the game and looked at her in

confusion. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked. Janelle looked at her husband of 14 years as if he had just sprouted a set of lime green

pink polka dotted antennae on his head. Once again, she had to open and close her mouth before gathering her thoughts. " 'What's the

matter, baby?'" she repeated. "Y'all are probably the loudest thing around here within a 10 block radius. AND you," she shook a finger

at her husband, "keep on playing like I haven't said a damn thing! That's what's the matter!" Drew got off the couch and went over to

hug his wife. He tried to give her a kiss on the cheek, but Janelle drew back from him. Drew and Janelle stared at each for a long time.

He gave her his best hurt puppy dog look. A small smile crossed her lips, then she sighed. She rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine.

Whatever," she said. Drew smiled big and kissed her cheek. "We'll just finish playing the game and come and eat. Okay?" Janelle

shrugged. "Okay." Drew gave her a big bear hug that lifted her off her feet and took her breath away. "Put me down! I can't breathe!"

Drew let her go and jumped back on the couch.

* * *

Janelle turned to head back to the kitchen. She had barely taken 2 steps away from the door before the TV was blasting away again. She 

shook her head and threw up her hands. "Oy vey!" she said as she entered the kitchen. A giggle escaped the lips of the kitchen's other

female occupant, her best friend Angelica, Angel for short. "I guess Miss Hard Nose wasn't working today, huh?" she asked. Janelle

nodded. "That would be a great big negatory, good buddy." Angel let out a loud laugh. "J, you're so silly." Janelle chuckled. "All I know

is they've got about 5 minutes to get out here before I do what Miss Celie did to Mister's daddy in 'The Color Purple,': spit in their

water." Angel made a face. "Uh, ewww!"

* * *

Janelle was starting her sophomore year at Middle Tennessee State University when she met Angel. Angel was officially a freshman, but 

she had taken some advanced courses during her high school years that counted towards her freshman year, so she was a freshmore.

Janelle's roommate from the previous semester had decided to go back to her hometown to finish getting her degree. The moment Angel

had walked into the room they would share, Janelle knew they'd be friends for life. How did she know? When Angel walked into the

room, she had smiled, offered her hand to Janelle to shake and said, "Hi. How are you? I'm Angel." in the coolest Southern accent she

had ever heard.

* * *

Janelle was 5'9" tall with medium brown skin, dark brown eyes and short black hair. Angel was 5'9" tall, light caramel skin, gray eyes 

and long shoulder length brown hair. Both were curvy, smart, and funny. Janelle was extroverted, making friends with anyone and

everyone she came in contact with. Angel was introverted and kind of shy, she was cautious to open up to people, but once she did,

people would be pleasantly surprised by her different interests and knowledge. They loved each other like sisters (fought like sisters every

once in a blue moon) and would defend each other to death. Janelle would always quote The Color Purple to describe their friendship,

"The only thing to keep me from my sister is Death." Angel would quote John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay

down his life for his friends."

* * *

Drew and DeMarco had just walked into the kitchen as Janelle had finished making her comment. "Damn, Janie, you ain't got to do all 

that," DeMarco said with a scowl crossing his face. Janelle sighed in exasperation. "Whatever, dude." Angel and Drew exchanged

glances, trying to stifle their laughter. DeMarco laughed anyway. "Aw, Janie, don't be like that. You know you love me." Drew and

Angel couldn't contain their laughter any more. Janelle shot them her best "I'm-gonna-get-you" look. It had no effect on them because

they kept right on laughing. Janelle even started laughing herself.

* * *

Angel was the first to recover from the laugh fest. "Okay, okay. Can we please get the food on the table? I'm starvin' like Marvin." 

Janelle wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, let's eat. Drew, get the tea and some ice outta the fridge." Drew gave his wife a little salute and

headed to the refrigerator. Janelle passed the chicken and dressing dish to DeMarco, who put it on the table. She did the same thing with

the pot of green beans, while Angel placed the salad bowl and 3 kinds of dressing on there. As soon as Drew had put the ice on the

table, everyone took a place behind a chair. Drew said to DeMarco, "Say grace, man." They held hands and bowed their heads.

DeMarco opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud buzzing noise coming from one of the 2 cell phones on his belt.

"Excuse me," he said as he broke away from the circle and headed towards the living room to take the phone call. Janelle and Drew

exchanged looks while Angel just looked down and shook her head. Janelle folded her arms across her chest and looked at Drew with

an arched eyebrow. Drew gave her a "please-don't-start-anything" look.

* * *

"What's up, man?" DeMarco asked the caller. "I can't do that right now, man. I'm having dinner at Janie's." He threw his hand up in 

frustration. "Man, I'll holla at you later when I'm done here. Aight? Peace." He snapped the phone close and went back to the table. He

took his place behind the chair and looked at Janelle. "What?!" he snapped. Janelle held up her hands and shrugged. "Dee, I'm not going

to say anything. So, just chill out." DeMarco took a deep breath, held it and slowly let it out. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, man."

Janelle smiled and took his hand; Angel took the other. Everyone bowed their heads again and DeMarco began to say a prayer. "Amen,"

they all said together and sat down.

* * *

Dinner must have been delicious because plates and pots were empty and everyone was having trouble getting up from the table. 

DeMarco helped Drew load the dishes into the dishwasher, while Janelle and Angel headed to the TV room. The guys followed them in

there. They debated about what to do: the guys wanted to play some more video games; the ladies wanted to watch a movie. They all

finally decided to just talk and let the TV be background noise. DeMarco's cell buzzed loudly again. He answered it without moving

away from his friends. "What's up, man?" he asked. He listened intently to the caller on the other end as he looked at his watch and

noted that it was almost 7:00 p.m. "I'm heading out now. Later."

* * *

DeMarco stood up and stretched his 6 foot frame. "You leaving?" Angel asked. "Yeah, I got some business to take care of. I'll holla at 

y'all later." Janelle rolled her eyes. "Janie, don't be rolling your eyes at me." Janelle stood up to her full height, standing toe to toe with

him, a hint of disapproval in her eyes. "DeMarco, go do your thing, dawg. I'm not saying a flipping thing," she hissed through her teeth.

Drew and Angel got between them. Drew had his hands on DeMarco's shoulders, holding him back. Angel did the same with Janelle.

DeMarco and Janelle continued their silent staring standoff. "Y'all need to chill out for real," Drew said. "Damn! We had a great day with

a great church service, a great meal and great convo. And now, you two knuckleheads want to ruin it by fighting over some stupid

bullshit! Let it the hell go!" At the mention of the word 'knucklehead' DeMarco and Janelle visibly relaxed and looked at each other in

mock amazement. DeMarco said, "Dang, Drew. You ain't gotta be like that." "Yeah. And I'm not a knucklehead!" Janelle chimed in.

Angel looked at Janelle with an amused look on her face. "Oh, yeah. That is so untrue," she said sarcastically under her breath.

* * *

Drew let go of DeMarco and turned around to look at his wife. "Well, you are. Let this man do his thing and stay out of it." Drew turned 

and looked at DeMarco, pointing at the offending phone. "The next time you come over here for dinner or whatever, THAT particular

phone needs to be OFF." DeMarco held up his hands. "Cool," he said. Drew turned back to Janelle. "You cool or what?" "I'm ice cold,

baby." Drew then turned and looked at Angel who had let go of Janelle and just stood next to her. "Well?" he asked her. Angel pressed

her lips together, shrugging. "I'm down for whatever." Drew squinted at her. "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes.'"

* * *

DeMarco looked at his watch again. It was now 7:05. "Aight. Now, I'm really outta here," he declared. His friends walked out of the TV 

room with him and to the front door. Janelle was the first one to hug him. "Just be careful, Dee." she whispered into his ear. DeMarco

gave her an extra squeeze. "I will, J." Angel hugged him next. "I love you, DeMarco." He looked deep into her gray eyes before kissing

her on the forehead. "I know, Baby Girl. I love you, too." Drew held out his hand. DeMarco took the proffered hand and pulled him into

a half hug. "Be safe, Brotha Man." Drew said. DeMarco just nodded. He walked out the door without saying anything else. He turned

around and waved at them before getting behind the wheel of his dark blue Ford Explorer and taking off. Angel lingered at the door a

little longer, watching over her friend until she couldn't see his tail lights any more. She finally closed it and turned to look at the lovebirds.

"He'll be okay," she said. Janelle shrugged as she wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, giving him a sideways hug. "Maybe."

Drew hugged her back. "Y'all quit worrying. He'll be fine." They headed back to the TV room, each saying a silent prayer for the safety

of their friend. **

* * *

Monday, August 14  
Inside of SUV **

Monday, August 14Inside of SUV 

Detective Alexandra Eames was humming along to 'Dancing Queen' which was playing on the local oldies radio station. She glanced at

the clock. It said 6:55 a.m. Alex was in a pretty good mood, despite it being Monday and that traffic was moving slowly. Over the

weekend, she had helped her baby brother Shane supervise the movers as they moved his things into his new apartment. His divorce

decree had become final last week, so he finally was able to leave his parents' furnished basement apartment he had stayed in while he

was separated from Kellie, his wife of 12 years. After the movers had left, their parents, Johnny and Janet, and their brother John and

sister Jill, plus their spouses and children had come over to help him get settled in. In a matter of hours, everything was in its proper place.

Shane asked Alex to spend the weekend with him and she had obliged. She suspected he just needed a shoulder to cry on and a caring

ear to listen. She was right. The memory of spending quality time with her baby brother had left her feeling good, so she was able to deal

with the slow ass traffic a little better.

* * *

Alex was also thinking about this upcoming weekend: Bobby's 45th birthday was on Sunday. She had mentioned it to her dad while they 

were in Shane's kitchen area. Of course, Johnny being the dutiful husband promptly went and told his wife. Janet had called the family

together and declared that they were going to throw Bobby a birthday party at their house. She turned and looked at Alex saying, "It'll

be up to you to tell him AND make sure he shows up." Alex groaned and shook her head at the memory. _"He'll kill me." _she thought

to herself. Then she started to smirk. _"Let him try." _She started going through a mental list of things she could get Bobby for his special

day. **

* * *

Monday, August 14  
Goren's Apartment **

Monday, August 14Goren's Apartment 

Detective Robert Goren, Bobby to his close friends and family, had just finished buttoning up his crisp white shirt and was selecting a tie

out of his closet when the telephone rang. He quickly picked out a nice striped one and went over to his nightstand to pick up the

cordless phone. It wasn't there. He looked around quizzically, then remembered he had last used the phone in the kitchen. He hurried out

of the bedroom and made it to the kitchen by the fourth ring. "Hello?" he said breathlessly. "Hi, Uncle Bobby. It's me, Courtney. You

okay?" Bobby smiled at the voice on the other end. "Hi, Courtney. I'm fine. I just had to rush from the bedroom to the kitchen to answer

the phone. How are you?" "I'm fine. Daddy wanted me to call and tell you that his flight should be landing at the airport around 9 a.m."

Bobby looked at his watch and saw that it was 7:00. "Did he say if he wanted me to pick him up?" "Daddy said he's getting a rental car.

He's going to come to your job to get a key." "Okay. I'll be looking for him." "Bye, Uncle Bobby. I love you." "I…I love you, too,

Courtney. Bye." Bobby pressed the 'end' button and set the phone down on the counter. He had a smile the size of the Grand Canyon

plastered on his face. _"Wow," _he thought, _"I'm loved by a 10 year old."_ He shook his head and put his tie around his neck.

* * *

By the time Alex reached Bobby's apartment, she had about 5 gift ideas on her mental list. She got out of the SUV and headed into the 

building. Alex took the stairs up to the 3rd floor. She smiled at Mr. Diaz as he was coming out his apartment. "Buenas dias, Senorita

Alex," he said as he tipped his hat at Alex. "Buenas dias, Senor Diaz." Alex waved at him as she continued heading to Bobby's.

* * *

Alex reached Bobby's apartment and knocked on the door. "Come on in, Alex." She turned the door knob and went in. Bobby was 

standing in the kitchen, tying his tie. Alex shook her head and asked, "Why are you tying your tie in the kitchen?" "Oh. The...the phone

rang and I came in here. To answer it." "Oh. Okay." Alex shrugged and walked off to admire the new wooden bookcase. Alex ran her

hand up and down the side of the bookcase. "This is nice, Bobby. Where'd you get it?" "It's my early birthday gift from Lewis. He's got

an uncle that fixes up and restores old furniture." Alex let out a low whistle. "Wow. A grease monkey that can pick out a nice piece of

furniture. I'm impressed." She turned around to look at Bobby as he chuckled. He had finished with his tie and was slipping on his suit

coat. He picked up his trusty leather binder off the counter top. "Ready?" he asked. Alex nodded and headed out the door with Bobby

on her heels.

* * *

Bobby eased himself into the passenger seat while Alex got in the driver's seat. He fumbled with his seatbelt a little as Alex started to 

ease back into the morning rush hour traffic. Bobby turned on the radio and smiled as he realized the oldies station was on. "Singing along

with 'Fernando' again?" he asked jokingly. Alex reached over and pinched his arm. "It was 'Dancing Queen,' thank you very much."

Bobby rubbed the spot where she had pinched him. "Ow. That…that hurt." "Serves you right for making fun of me." Bobby made a

show of shifting in his seat away from Alex, still rubbing the spot where she had pinched him. Alex just smiled.

* * *

"What did you do this weekend?" Alex asked. Bobby shrugged. "Not too much. I helped Lewis do some restorations on a '55 Ford 

Fairlane on Saturday. I visited Mom on Sunday." Alex nodded her head. "You guys put the bookcase in Saturday?" "Actually, Lewis

gave his uncle his key to my place so that he could put it in without my knowing." "The world's greatest detective got duped by a car

restoration? I love it!" Bobby nodded. "Yeah. I….I guess I did. I…I don't know how to repay him for this wonderful gift."

* * *

Alex snuck a glance at Bobby. "You don't have to repay Lewis. He's your friend and he wanted to do something special for you." "It's 

just kinda hard to accept. That's all." Alex sighed and shook her head. As long as she had known Bobby, she could never understand

why he couldn't accept acts of kindness shown towards him. There were times she wished she had a time machine so that she could go

back and tell little Bobby Goren despite everything he would go through with his family, that he had nothing to fear from the people he

would eventually meet and call his friends. Out of the corner of her eye, Alex caught Bobby squirming in his seat as if he were

uncomfortable. "You okay?" "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

Bobby cleared his throat and asked, "Did Shane get settled into his new apartment this weekend?" _"Smooth transition, Bobby." _Alex 

thought. "Yeah, he did," she answered. "It's a really nice place. It didn't take long to get his stuff inside. The entire Eames clan came out

and helped him unpacked." Bobby frowned slightly. "How many of you actually fit in there?" Alex chuckled at Bobby's question because

she knew what he was thinking. "Minus the movers and his ex-wife, 18 of us fit in there quite snugly." "Hmm. Small crowd."

* * *

The 2 partners fell into a comfortable silence on the ride to work. After about 5 minutes, Alex was the one to break it. "Alright, I'm 

curious. Whose phone call was so important that you had to tie your tie in the kitchen?" she asked. "My god daughter, Courtney, called

to tell me when her dad's flight was coming in." Alex gasped in mock horror. "Robert Goren! You have other children in your life besides

my nieces and nephews and cousins? I am shocked!" Bobby let out a hearty laugh. "Jealousy is so not becoming of you, Eames." he said.

"You have such an interesting array of friends. What does this one do?" "His name's Rob Duncan. He's a web designer based in Atlanta.

He's coming to meet with his New York clients and spend some time with Courtney and me." "So, I get a new perspective on the charm

and mystery of Robert Goren, huh?" Bobby shrugged as he laughed. "I guess."

* * *

"_Well, here goes nothing," _Alex thought as she took a deep breath. "Your birthday's this Sunday, you know." Bobby looked down at 

his hands, then out of the window. "Yep. The big 4-5." "You have any special plans besides the usual set in stone ones?" Bobby turned

and looked at Alex, a puzzled look on his face. "What 'set in stone' plans?" Alex chanced a look at him, her eyebrows raised. "You

know. _Alannah_." She placed extra emphasis on the name. Bobby frowned for a minute before recognition of the name came to him.

"Good grief! I haven't heard from _her _since last year." he said. Alex's mouth dropped open for a second. "Oh my God! You mean to tell

me that you have guaranteed sex once a year on your birthday and you can't even remember her name! You are either very forgetful or a

dog. I'm leaning heavily towards the latter." Bobby threw up his hands. He ran his hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his

neck. "You are not going to let me live this down, are you?" "I don't care what you do in your sexual life, pal. I just think it's kinda rude

not to remember your fuck buddy's name."

* * *

Alannah Fitzgerald was 6 foot 1, 3 percent body fat, well endowed, with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. Bobby and Alex had 

both met her at Chauncey's Bar the week before Bobby's 40th birthday. They had went there to relax and celebrate after a particularly

stressing case. They were trying to decide where to go for dinner when the bartender had placed a couple of fresh drinks in front of them

and told them that they were from the lovely lady at the table behind them. Bobby and Alex turned to see this strikingly beautiful red

haired woman holding up her champagne glass in a toast to them. They returned the gesture. She appeared to be holding court with 3

other females, all with varying shades of blonde hair, just as beautiful as she, and 4 dark haired men, all tall, dark and handsome with

broad shoulders. Bobby suggested that they go over and at least thank the kind stranger. Instead, Alannah had gotten up and walked

over to them. She introduce herself and invited them to join her and her friends. They both thanked her, but declined the invitation. She

pulled a couple of business cards out of her jeans pocket to give to the detectives. As she gave each of them a card, Alannah made a

point of slowly stroking their hands and undressing them with her eyes. Needless to say, Bobby and Alex made a calm, but hasty retreat

out of the bar.

* * *

Bobby broke down and called Alannah the next night. They made to plans to meet at an Italian restaurant that was not too far from 

Bobby's place. Alannah was already at the restaurant when Bobby got there. They hit it off quite well, talking about their interests and

hobbies. Before the main entrée was delivered to the table, Alannah told Bobby that her 40th birthday was coming up on the 19th and

that she was going to become more like Samantha Jones from "Sex and the City": flaunt her uninhibited sexuality. She had asked him if he

wanted to be a willing participant in her quest for ultimate sexual satisfaction. It took Bobby all of 2 seconds to say yes. Alannah's

birthday was the first time she and Bobby carried out her "Samantha Jones-ness." Every year since then, Bobby had celebrated his

birthday with her.

* * *

"Alannah hasn't called me at all this year," Bobby said, sounding guilty and hurt at the same time. "This may be the year I don't get any." 

Alex sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up Alannah to judge you or make you feel uncomfortable or anything like that. I asked

about your birthday plans because my family wants to throw you a birthday party." Bobby looked stunned. He sat there in silence,

looking out the window. "Why?" he finally asked. Alex cast her eyes upward. _"A little help here would be appreciated, thank you." _

Alex answered, " 'Why?' Why not? Bobby, you know my family and I love you to pieces. Mom gets on my case sometimes because

YOU don't just drop in for a visit or tell them about your mom's health. I mean, she knows you do your own thing on your own time, but

she gets pissy with me because I can't make you do anything like I can make John and Shane do." Bobby was about to say something,

but Alex held up her hand. "You do realize you became an Eames when we became partners? That certificate the kids gave you last year

just cemented your fate in being an Eames." Bobby smiled at the mention of the certificate he got from her family.

* * *

Last year, Bobby went with Alex and her family to a park in upstate New York for a huge family gathering to celebrate recent additions, 

by birth or marriage, to the ever expanding Eames/Finley clans. Johnny Eames was the master of ceremony that day, introducing the new

family members to everyone. When he had finished making introductions, he called Bobby up to the front and presented him with a

framed hand made certificate that said "This certificate hereby grants Robert James Goren all the rights and privileges of being an Eames.

We Love You." It had been signed by Alex, her parents, nieces, nephews, cousins. You name the relation, he or she signed it. Bobby

had felt a an overwhelming sense of belonging that day. He proudly hung the certificate in his bedroom.

* * *

Bobby sat in silence, thinking about what to say to his best friend and partner. He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he couldn't 

think of any reason why he shouldn't spend his birthday with someone else besides Alannah. "Well, say something," Alex said. "How

many people is your mom inviting?" Bobby braced himself for the outrageous number. "Mom said that we'll just limit the party to us kids,

the spouses and grandkids." Bobby let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "That's fine. Will it be okay if Rob and Courtney

come, too?" "Sure, they can come. Hell, I'm feeling generous. I'll even invite Lewis." Bobby rolled his eyes and smiled. "Gee, thanks."

Alex took another deep breath and said, "If you and Alannah get together this weekend, you can bring her, too." Bobby raised his

eyebrows. "Oh, really?" Alex nodded. "However, be forewarned. If she tries to back me into a corner to cop a feel, I'll clean her clock

real good." "I'll file that away for future reference."

* * *

Bobby and Alex fell back into their comfortable silence once more, each smiling to themselves. Alex smiled because she was secure in 

the fact that Bobby's birthday party would be a blast, with or without the red haired nympho. Bobby smiled because he decided he was

going to cut loose this weekend, whether sex was involved or not.


	2. Chapter 2 revised

**Author's Notes: Just in case anybody's wondering, I'm having this take place before the 'Blind Spot' episode. Also, I'm going by what was mentioned on the show about when Bobby's birthday is, August 20, 1961. **

And as always, the L&O:CI characters do not belong to me. All original characters do belong to me. (That should satisfy all the lawyers out there. :o) )

**Enjoy :o)**

**Monday, August 14  
Inside of One Police Plaza**

Bobby and Alex made it to their office at 7:50 a.m. They went to their desks and turned on their computers. Bobby sat down and started

shifting through the messages and paperwork that seemed to materialize on his desk over the weekend. Alex took her off jacket and did

the same thing. "Morning, detectives," Captain Danny Ross said as he headed towards his office. "Morning, sir," they said in unison.

Bobby and Alex exchanged amused looks. Captain Ross caught the exchange and walked back to their desks. "Something wrong,

detectives?" he asked, looking at Bobby, then at Alex. Alex was the first one to speak up. "I was just thinking that I need to tell my

partner to stay out of my head, Captain." Ross looked back at Bobby. Bobby gave him his best straight face look and shrugged. Then he

turned his attention to a piece of paper he held in his hand. "I see. Carry on." Ross turned and continued on to his office.

* * *

"I wasn't aware that I was in your head," Bobby said. "Does that mean you're having nasty little sexual fantasies about me?" Alex made 

a face at him. "In your dreams, pal." she said. "Doesn't matter anyway. It just reinforces his notion that I'm a megalomaniacal

schizophrenic with delusions of being Sherlock Holmes and Columbo rolled up into one." "Pfft! Fuck him." Bobby chuckled and started

flipping through a file. Alex looked up and saw Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler go into the break room. Suddenly, she had an urge to

go in there as well. "I'm going to get some coffee. You want some?" she asked. "Yes, please," Bobby replied without looking up.

* * *

"Morning, guys," Alex said to Logan and Wheeler as she entered the break room. "Morning, Eames." Logan said. He was leaning 

against the counter, sipping on his coffee, watching Megan pour hers. "Morning, Eames. How are you?" "I'm fine, thanks. How are

you?" "I'm good." Megan moved out of the way and took up a leaning position next to Mike. He turned to her and asked, "How come

you never ask me how I'm doing?" Megan shrugged. "You're usually cranky most of the time. I don't need to ask to know that." Mike

put his hand over his heart, making a face as if it hurt. "Take the knife outta my heart, Wheeler. I am hurt." "As if." Alex had put the

Styrofoam coffee cups down on the counter and held up her hands to stop them. "As much as I enjoy watching the Abbott and Costello

routine, I need to tell you guys something," she said. "What's up, Eames?" Wheeler asked, poking Logan in the side with her elbow.

Mike opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. Instead, he focused his attention on Alex.

* * *

"Bobby's birthday is coming up on Sunday and my family's throwing him a party. I wanted you to come and celebrate with us." "Sure. 

I'd like to come." Mike said. "Me, too," said Megan. "That's great." Alex said. "I'll e-mail you directions and what not later." "Is it okay

if I bring my nephew?" Megan asked. "We usually hang out on Sundays. I don't want him to feel like I'm ditching him or anything."

"That'll be fine. I gotta warn you though. He'll be the oldest kid there." "Ian won't mind. He'll probably people watch anyway to get

ideas for new stories." Mike asked, "You got any ideas about what kind of gift to get him?" "I've got a few ideas. I'll e-mail you a list.

Maybe we can pick something and go in on it together." "Sounds like a plan to me." Megan nodded in agreement. "Okay, I better get

back to my desk before Goren gets suspicious." Alex picked up the coffee cups and headed out the break room door with a little bit of

spring in her step. _"I wonder who else I should invite?" _she thought as she headed towards her desk. **

* * *

Monday, August 14  
9:45 a.m. **

Monday, August 149:45 a.m. 

Bobby stretched his arms over his head and yawned. Alex looked over at him and shook her head. "Please contain your excitement

about the paperwork," she said. "I don't think I did this much paperwork when I was in the Army." "Lucky you." Alex glanced at her

computer and noticed that she had a new e-mail message from her sister. She opened it and laughed. "Hey, come and look at the group

pictures from last year's event." Bobby got up from his desk and went over to hers. He placed his hands on the desk, leaning and looking

over Alex's shoulder as she started to click through the pictures. As Alex was about to click on the third picture, a male voice said, "Hey,

Bobby-Boy."

* * *

Bobby stood up and turned around to see a man standing in the doorway of Major Case. He was 6 foot 2, jet black hair that was a little 

spiky on top and black eyes. He had the same body build as Bobby except he was a little more leaner. He had on a white dress shirt that

was un-tucked and opened at the collar and dark blue denim jeans. His navy sport coat was hanging over his arm. "Hey, Robby-Boy,"

Bobby said as he approached the man. The man walked towards Bobby, arms opened wide. They briefly hugged each other, then

stepped back to look at each other. "You look good, Rob." Bobby said with a smile. "You're not too bad looking yourself, old man."

Rob said, patting Bobby's shoulder. Rob squinted a little at his friend. He moved in closer to look at the graying hair on Bobby's temple.

He put 2 fingers on Bobby's chin to move his head so that he could look at the other temple. He did this a couple of times before saying,

"Yep. You are getting old."

* * *

Bobby made a grunting noise at him and swatted at Rob's hand as if he was swatting a fly. "You keep doing that, I'm gonna plant a big 

sloppy kiss on your lips." A devilish smile crossed Rob's lips. "Not if I bend you over a table first," he said. Alex coughed and cleared

her throat to let them know she was sitting there. Bobby turned, grabbing Rob by the arm and walking him over to Alex. "Alex, this is my

friend, Rob Duncan. Rob, this is my partner, Alexandra Eames." Rob and Alex shook hands. "Detective Eames, it's a pleasure to meet

you," Rob said with a smile. "It's Alex. Same here." "Lewis was right. You are very pretty." Alex blushed slightly and rolled her eyes.

"He's got you pleading his case, too, huh?" Rob nodded. "I have been told, no let me say COMMANDED, to persuade you to go out

with him." Alex and Bobby both laughed. Rob turned to look at Bobby. "What are you laughing at? Am I not the one who convinced the

nice young fraulein in K-Town not to kick you in the balls because you accidentally said something vulgar in German while doing the

stuttering thing?" "Yes, of course. Bring that up, why don't you?" Alex smiled as she watched the comical exchange between friends. She

was about to ask a question when her phone rang. "Excuse me. I better take this," she said as she turned to answer it.

* * *

Rob put on his jacket as he followed Bobby to his desk. Bobby reached into the middle drawer and pulled out a key ring with 2 keys on 

it and tossed to them to his friend. Then he opened his binder and pulled out a small light blue hangtag with the word "VISITOR" written

in white on it. He handed this to Rob as well. "Hang that on your rearview mirror when you're parked at the apartment parking garage."

Bobby said. "Okay. Cool." Rob held up the key ring. "The smaller key is to the mailbox," Bobby told him, pointing to the keys. "Good.

Did Courtney call you earlier this morning?" Rob asked. Bobby smiled as he nodded. "Yeah….yeah, she did." Rob took notice of

Bobby's smile. "She said 'I love you, Uncle Bobby,' didn't she?" "Yep." Rob stuck out his chest a little. "That's my girl. She misses you,

you know?" Alex stood up and put on her jacket. "I hate to interrupt this lovely reunion, but we just caught a case." Bobby picked up his

binder and followed Alex to the elevator. Rob was 2 steps behind them.

* * *

As they were riding down, Rob held out his hand to Alex. "Again, it was nice to meet you, Alex." She shook his hand. "Thanks." she 

said. "I hope you'll get to come by the apartment while I'm here so I can cook for you and Bobby. I will tell you stories about my boy

here in his younger days." Alex chuckled. "That'll be great. I'd _really _like to know what he said to get himself almost ball-less." Bobby

just stood there, shaking his head and looking up as the numbers counted down the floors. "Great. Just great." he mumbled. Alex and

Rob both laughed. Rob clapped him on the shoulder. "I will only tell her the rated G version," he said. "Oh, come on. I wanna hear the

rated R version. I can handle it." Bobby looked at both of them. "It's just my luck that I'd be surrounded by comedians." he said

sarcastically. "Oh, don't be like that, Bobby-Boy. You know I have your best interests at heart." Rob said with a smile. Bobby was

about to tell Rob where he can go and what he could do when the elevator doors opened and Alex pushed him out towards the parking

garage. Rob headed towards the visitor's desk. "See you later, Rob," she said over her shoulder. "See you at the apartment." Bobby

said. "Later, you two." **

* * *

**

**Monday, August 14  
Crime Scene, 10:30 a.m. **

"What do you got?" Alex asked the young, female uniformed officer whose name tag read Blake as she snapped on some latex gloves.

"We have an African-American male victim named DeMarco Louis Anderson, age 36," Officer Blake said in a nasally voice. She handed

his wallet to Eames. "It appears to be a drug overdose." Alex stopped in her tracks. "What the hell?! A drug overdose?!" The female

officer nodded. "There had been reports that a dark blue Ford Explorer had been weaving in and out of traffic, practically running over

pedestrians and running into cars without putting on the brakes. He blew through the traffic light and smashed into the limo carrying the

ambassador from Italy before smashing into the lamppost. Officers surrounded the SUV, ordering him to get out. When he didn't move,

we yanked his door open and saw him slumped over the wheel. At first glance, we noticed two fresh needle marks on his right arm."

"Why were we called?" "Since he crashed into the Italian ambassador's limo, the higher ups started thinking 'terrorists.' So they said to

call Major Case." Alex sighed. "Great. Thanks." A CSU tech came up to Alex with a evidence bag. Alex flashed him a tight smile and

dropped the wallet into the bag.

**

* * *

**

Alex walked over to the smashed up Explorer. Bobby already had the passenger side door open, examining the body. Alex walked over

to the driver's side. When she opened the door, she grimaced at the sight and smell of vomit. DeMarco's lifeless body was sitting up, his

head leaning against the headrest. There was vomit on his clothes and the steering wheel. His forehead was bleeding from where it hit the

steering wheel. "Eames, look at this," Bobby said, holding up DeMarco's right arm and pointing out the 2 needle marks in the bend of his

arm. Alex leaned in a little for a closer look. "Looks like he just started using," she said. Bobby shook his head. "Look at the bruising

near his wrist." Bobby placed his gloved hand over the marks. Alex nodded her head, understanding what Goren was saying.

"Somebody held his arm while injecting drugs into his system," she said. Goren said, "He's 6 foot even and about 185, 190 pounds.

There had to be 2 people in here because one person wouldn't have been able to inject drugs in his arm without him putting up a fight."

**

* * *

**

Alex held up DeMarco's left hand and looked at his fingernails. "His nails are clipped pretty close. I don't see any sign of him scratching

anybody. We might get zilch." She pointed to the right hand. "What's that on the back of his hand?" Bobby looked at what Alex was

talking about. "It looks like a burn of some sort." He looked down at the cigarette lighter and noticed it was not in its usual place, but on

the floor. He picked it up and placed it over the burn mark. "It's the same size as the lighter, but not the same burn pattern," Bobby said.

Alex had moved from the front to the driver's side back seat. "There's a gallon of unopened orange juice on the floor back here." She

reached inside to get a plastic bag that was laying near the jug. Inside, she found a receipt. "Hey, there's a receipt with today's date on it.

The address on it is for a bodega a few blocks from here." Bobby didn't say anything. Alex looked away from the small slip of paper.

She saw Bobby sniffing the victim's right hand. She mentally sighed before asking, "What do you smell?" Bobby turned to look at her.

He simply said, "Marijuana."

**

* * *

**

"Okay," she said. Alex turned and dropped the receipt into the evidence bag the CSU tech was holding out. She noticed the faint shoe

print on the back of the driver's seat and the deep impressions on either side of it. "Goren, check this out." Bobby laid DeMarco's hand

down and got out to go where Alex was standing. He tapped a camera toting CSU tech on the shoulder and said, "Make sure to take

some close up shots of the burn on the back of the victim's right hand." Bobby took Alex's place at the back seat. He lightly touched the

impressions. "It looks like these were made by some kind of restraint. A belt maybe." He was going to sit down behind the driver, but

realized he would practically be folded in half to get in there. "Eames, please….please sit." Alex slid into the back seat easily. Bobby

sighed as he crossed his arms and stroked his cheek a few times. He uncrossed his arms and leaned into the SUV, pointing at the shoe

print. "This looks like some type of work boot print," he said. "The killer's accomplice managed to slip a belt around the victim's upper

arms. He put his foot up on the back seat to give him some leverage as he tightened the belt to hold the victim still while the killer injected

drugs into him." Alex nodded and snapped her fingers. "He would have had to lean back to get good leverage." She leaned back in the

seat and looked around. She felt around the seat, looking for a clue. She didn't find anything. "Well, so much for that."

**

* * *

**

Alex stepped out and followed Bobby to the back of the SUV. He took a step back to open the back door. It was clean. Bobby took a

deep breath. "Smells like it's been shampooed recently." Alex pointed to the closed compartment next to her. "I wonder what's behind

door number 3," she said as she opened it and reached inside. She pulled out 6 big bricks of marijuana. "Wow! Would you look at that."

she said in mock amazement. Bobby picked up one of the bricks and sniffed it. "Hmmm. Good stuff." He put it back down. Alex waved

her hand over the stash and asked, "How much do you think it's worth?" Bobby shrugged. "Offhand, I'd guess maybe 300 or 400 K, at

least." "So, the question of the day is why kill the dealer, but not take his inventory?" "Maybe the killers didn't know it was back here,"

Bobby replied, "or this is a revenge killing." "If that's the case, who did he piss off?" Alex stepped away from the back of the SUV and

headed towards the male CSU tech she had given DeMarco's wallet to. "Did you find a cell phone on this guy?" "Yeah, we sure did," he

said as he stooped down to reach into his evidence holding case. Bobby had walked up as Alex took the cell phone out of its bag. She

scrolled through the phone's received and dialed lists. "His last outgoing call was at 8:24 a.m. to Computer City. His last incoming call

was 5 minutes later from the same place." "I know where that place is," Bobby said. "It took over Uncle Buddy's TV Repair Shop."

Alex smiled and said, "Come on, Dorothy. Looks like we're going to see a computer wizard."

**

* * *

**

**Monday, August 14  
Computer City, 11:05 a.m. **

"Hi. Welcome to Computer City. My name's Maria. Can I help you?" the pretty petite Latina said. "As a matter of fact you can, Maria,"

Alex said as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her badge to show Maria. "I'm Detective Eames. This is my partner,

Detective Goren. We'd like to speak to the owner of this place, please." Maria scrutinized the gold badge for a moment before saying,

"Sure. Hold on a second." She walked off and headed over to where a tall black man was talking to an older white couple. "A most

unusual front for drug dealing," Bobby commented to Alex. She nodded in agreement. Alex and Bobby both watched Maria tap the

black man on the shoulder. He leaned down a little as she whispered into his ear and pointed in the detectives' direction. He briefly

glanced at them before handing the webcam he was holding to Maria. He turned to the couple and said a few words to them before

walking away. As the black man headed towards them, Alex thought to herself, _"Hmm. He kinda looks like Drew." _When the black

man reached them, he gave Alex a quizzical look. "Alex Eames?" he asked. "Yeah. Drew Spencer?" A big smile spread over his face as

he reached out to shake her hand. "Yep, it's me. Good to see you." "Same here. Gee, I haven't seen you in what? Over a year?" Drew

laughed a little. "Try 2 years, Miss Eames." Bobby stood by and watched as Alex and Drew exchanged pleasantries. He wondered when

did Alex have time to meet this man and why she didn't tell him about it. He made a mental note to ask her later.

**

* * *

**

"Drew Spencer, this is my partner, Detective Goren." Bobby shook himself out of his thoughts at the mention of his name. Drew held out

his hand and said, "Pleased to meet you, Detective Goren." "Likewise, Mr. Spencer." Drew clapped his hands together and looked from

Alex to Bobby and back. "Well, what can I do for y'all?" Alex said, "Drew, I'm afraid this isn't a social call. Do you have some place

we can talk privately?" Drew's demeanor turned serious. "Sure. Follow me this way." The detectives followed him as he went passed the

counter to a door marked "Employees Only." He opened it and they all went inside. Drew took them down a small hallway to a open

door where some music was coming from. As soon as they had crossed the threshold, Drew said, "Hey, Janelle. The po-po is here."

**

* * *

**

Janelle was sitting at one of 2 desks that were facing each other, with her face resting in her hand, staring intently at the laptop screen

before her. She looked away from the screen to look up at Drew. "What? Po-po's here?" He stepped aside to reveal Detectives Eames

and Goren standing behind him. "Alex!" Janelle exclaimed happily. She got up from her desk and started to head towards Alex, arms

extended to hug her, when Drew lightly grabbed her arm and shook his head. "They're here on official business, baby," he said in her ear.

"Oh. Okay." Janelle said with an understanding tone. She pulled away from her husband and walked over with her hand extended.

"Good to see you, Detective Eames." Alex smiled and said, "You can still call me Alex. It's good to see you, too, Janelle. This is my

partner, Detective Goren." Bobby smiled as he shook her hand. He wondered again how did Alex know them and why didn't she tell

him. His curiosity was about to get the best of him when the back door opened and a female voice said, "Hey, Janelle. The memory

boards we ordered are here." "Angel," Janelle said, "Alex is here."

**

* * *

**

Angel looked from the box she was carrying to see Janelle standing, pointing at Alex. "Alex, hi!" she said with a smile. She put the box

down on the desk and started to head towards Alex when she noticed Bobby standing there. She stopped suddenly, a look of surprise

on her face. "Hi, Robert." "Hello, Angelica." Alex's eyes got big, as did Drew and Janelle's. Angel looked briefly down at the floor

before continuing on towards the group. She shook Alex's hand first, a smile reaching her sparkling gray eyes. "Long time, no see."

Eames nodded. "Same here." Then Angel turned to shake Bobby's hand. Angel blushed a little at the intense stare Bobby was giving her.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and said softly, "It's good to see you again, Robert." Bobby swallowed a couple of times

before he found his voice. "Same...same here, Angelica." She smiled at the use of her full name.

**

* * *

**

"_God, Goren! Now is not the time to be undressing people with your eyes." _Alex thought. She noticed Janelle and Drew had moved

to lean against the desk Janelle had been seated at, jabbing each other as they looked at the highly charged exchange between Bobby

and Angel. Angel pulled away from Bobby and went to her desk. He continued to stare at her. She leaned against her desk next to

Janelle, giving her a "what-are-they-doing here" look with her eyes. Janelle simply said, "They're here on official business, sweetie."

"Okay." Angel pointed to a couple of chairs "Please, have a seat," she said. Alex cleared her throat to get Bobby's attention. Bobby

jumped slightly and blushed, embarrassed at having been caught staring. He got the chairs Angel had pointed at and gave one to Alex. He

waited for her to sit down first before he did.

**

* * *

**

Alex started off by asking, "Do either one of you know a DeMarco Anderson?" "Sure, we all know him," Drew said. "We've known

him for about as long as we've known each other. At least 14 years." Alex looked at Bobby. He looked back at her and nodded. Alex

licked her lips and said "I sorry to have to tell you this, but DeMarco Anderson is dead." The silence that followed that statement was

thunderous. All three sat there with looks of shock evident on their faces. Janelle leaned into Drew as he put his arm around her

shoulders. Angel put her hand over her heart and hunched over a little. Tears started streaming down her face. She bit her quivering

bottom lip to help her find the voice to ask, "Are you sure?" "I'm afraid so." Angel looked down at the floor. "Oh my," she whispered.

Bobby stood up to pull his handkerchief out of his back pocket. He walked over to Angel and leaned down to catch her eye, holding the

handkerchief out to her. She took it out of his hand, then looked at him. "Thank you." Bobby took the plunge with the question he was

eager to ask. "You and DeMarco were in….intimate?" Angel nodded. "A year after my late husband had been dead, we dated for a

couple of months but broke it off because it felt strange." "Strange, how?" "We had known each other like brother and sister for so long,

it felt strange to try to have a relationship beyond that. We've always been close." "I see." Bobby walked back to his chair and sat down.

He felt some relief that Angel wasn't involved with this man now.

**

* * *

**

"DeMarco had placed a call to here at 8:24 a.m. Do you know who he talked to?" Alex asked. Drew held up his hand. "He called

wanting to know what we, the whole staff, wanted for lunch." "Why was that?" "Once a month, we buy lunch for everybody. DeMarco

liked to be included every now and then." "Alright. The last call he received was from here about 5 minutes later. Who called him?"

Angel raised her hand. "I did. I was calling to tell him that I was going to be performing at Club Silkie's this Friday night." "Okay. When

was the last time any of you saw DeMarco alive?" Alex asked, looking at each of them. "We, Drew and I, saw him yesterday." Janelle

said. She had moved to leaning on Drew's shoulder. "What time and where?" "He got to church about the same time we did, which was

before 9:30. That's when Sunday School starts. Regular service started a little bit after 11:00. It was over by 12:45. When we got out,

Dee called his ex to see if he could drop by to give her some money." Alex looked up from her notepad. "His ex-wife's name is…" "Ex-

girlfriend," Janelle corrected. "Her name's Sasha Cruz. She's the mother of his 12 year old daughter, Celena. With a 'C.'" "Damn!"

Drew said suddenly. "Is something the matter?" Bobby asked Drew. " I just realized we gotta tell Celena her daddy's dead," he sighed.

"You're Celena's godparents?" Janelle and Drew both nodded. Alex said to Janelle, "So, 12:45 Sunday afternoon was the last time you

saw DeMarco alive" "Um, no. He came over to our house around 2:30 or so for dinner. He and Drew played some video games before

we ate. We had dinner, talked a little bit afterwards, almost got into a fight, made up and he left after 7:00." Bobby and Alex looked at

each other. "Who almost got into a fight?" Bobby asked. Janelle sniffed before answering, "Me and DeMarco almost got into a fight."

Bobby leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest. He looked at Janelle with his head cocked to the side. "Really? Why?"

"Because his other cell phone rang twice while he was at my house." "His other cell phone?" "Yeah, Dee carried 2 cell phones." Bobby

sat there looking at Janelle, sizing her up. After a few seconds, Drew said, "Don't let her sex fool you, Detective Goren. My wife can

pack a punch better than Mike Tyson did in his heyday." Alex's mouth crooked a little because she knew Drew spoke the truth.

**

* * *

**

"Angel, when was the last time you saw DeMarco alive?" Alex asked "He was sitting on my doorstep at 6:30 this morning, waiting on me

to come back from my walk. He was there for breakfast. He left about 7:30." "Did he always do that?" "Maybe 2 or 3 times a month. I

moved up here near the end of January. He started coming by around the middle of February. I'm surprised he and the lovebirds here

weren't all on my doorstep today." "Did anybody see him leave your place?" Angel thought for a minute. "My neighbor across the street,

Mrs. Easley, probably saw him leave. She's the local neighborhood watch." "You mean the local neighborhood gossip starter?" Bobby

said to her. She nodded. Angel looked at Bobby a brief moment before looking down at her feet. She didn't want him to see her cry.

"Can y'all tell us how he died?" she asked softly. "It appears to have been a drug overdose," Alex told her. Angel's head snapped up;

Janelle sat upright and Drew said, "Huh?" They all looked at each other, then looked at the detectives. "You have the wrong DeMarco

Anderson," Angel said, shaking her head in disbelief. "The DeMarco Anderson we knew didn't do drugs." "Maybe so," Bobby said,

"but did the DeMarco Anderson you know sell drugs? Because we found 6 big bricks of marijuana with a street value of at least

$400,000.00 hidden in his SUV."

**

* * *

**

They hung their heads in shame. Angel looked at Janelle, then Drew. Drew shrugged and said, "You might as well tell him, Angel.

They're gonna find out anyway." "What are we going to find out?" Bobby asked, focusing his attention on Angel. She took a deep

breath. "DeMarco was 15 when he, his younger brother Eric and their uncle Todd got busted for possession with intent to sell marijuana

in New Jersey. He and Eric got community service with probation since they were minors and it was their first offense; their uncle did a

little jail time. Ever since then, Dee was hooked on his hustle." "Were any of you involved with his hustle?" They all shook their heads.

"We knew he did it, just not the ins and outs of what he was doing. When we were in college, even when we were on the road

performing, Garvin always told him to go do his thing, just don't bring any trouble around. DeMarco would go MIA for 2 or 3 days when

he was hustling. Then he'd come back like he hadn't been gone." "When was the last time DeMarco went missing?" Angel shrugged.

"Not since I've been here." Bobby looked to Janelle and Drew. "Dang. The last time I remember him going missing was sometime last

late April, early May." Janelle said. Drew nodded. "That sounds about right."

**

* * *

**

Alex stood up to stretch. Bobby did the same thing. "Do you know if he had any enemies?" she asked. "I can't think of anybody wanting

to hurt DeMarco," Angel said. "What about his drug contacts?" Angel shook her head. "Was DeMarco holding down a regular job?"

"Yes. He was working for J Security." Janelle said. "That's your brother's company, right?" "Yep." "We're going to need to contact his

employer and his ex-girlfriend." Janelle got off the desk and went around to sit down in her chair. She flipped through a business card

holding Rolodex and pulled out 2 cards. She turned one of the cards over and wrote something on the back. She stood up and handed

them to Alex. "The number on the back of Sasha's card is her home phone." Alex glanced at the cards and put them in her pocket.

"Would you guys let us tell Celena about her daddy before you talk to Sasha?" Janelle asked, glancing at Alex, then to Bobby and finally

at the floor. Alex reached out and touched Janelle's arm. "I think we can hold off on talking to Sasha until tomorrow." Janelle looked up

and smiled, squeezing Alex's hand. "Thanks. Alex. Thanks, Detective Goren." Janelle pulled away from Alex to go stand between Angel

and Drew. "Also, we're going to need to contact his next of kin to I.D. his body." "That would be me," Angel said. "DeMarco gave me

unlimited power of attorney over him and all his stuff." Bobby whipped out one of his business cards and handed to Angel. "We'll need

you to come down to the morgue with us." he said. "You can stop by our office at 3:30 to ride with us." "Okay. I'll be there." "You'll

need to bring a copy of the power of attorney with you," Alex told her. Angel nodded. She was still feeling numb about DeMarco's

death.

**

* * *

**

"Come on, Goren. We better get going." Alex shook their hands; Bobby followed suit. "I'm sorry to have to see you guys under such

grim circumstances, but I'm glad to see you." Alex said. Janelle smiled at her. "I'm kinda glad to get the news from you than from

somebody else. I think I'd still be in denial right now." Bobby and Alex headed towards the door. Bobby snapped his fingers and whirled

around on his heel. "Just one more thing," he said to Janelle. "The other cell phone you referred to….do you know the number?" Janelle

shook her head. "DeMarco had had that phone for at least a year. I never knew the number. I don't think anybody did." Bobby nodded.

"Okay. Thank you." He turned around to catch up with his waiting partner. "Detective Goren," Angel said. Bobby turned back around to

see her walking towards him. It took him 1 step to close the distance between them. She held up his handkerchief and said, "I'll clean this

and get it back to you." Bobby shrugged. "Don't worry about it." Angel smiled up at him. "It's good to see you again, Robert." Bobby

ran his hand through his hair and blushed at the way she said his whole name. "Please ca…call me Bobby. Same here, Angelica." It was

her turn to blush. "Angel," was all she said as she stepped away from him. He practically ran to the door to catch up with Alex.

**

* * *

**

As they got into the SUV, Alex turned to Bobby, her mouth agape. "We are going to lunch now because you SO OWE ME a HUGE

explanation about how you know Angel." Bobby turned to stare at her in amazement. "I was thinking the same thing because YOU knew

EVERYONE we just talked to." The world's greatest detectives bickered like this on their way to their favorite cafe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Monday, August 14  
Milo's Cafe 1:15 p.m.**

"Thanks, Dr. Rogers. We should get to you by 4:00 p.m. Bye." Alex pressed the 'end' button on her cell phone and closed it. Bobby

held the door to the restaurant open for her. "Thanks," she said as she slipped passed him. "It's my favorite NYPD detectives!" the

blonde haired hostess said as Alex and Bobby approached the hostess station. "Hey, Allison," Bobby and Alex said at the same time.

They looked at each other, shaking their heads. "You know we're going to do this all day," Bobby said. "God, I hope not." Alex said.

Allison laughed as she grabbed a couple of menus and headed towards a window booth near the back. She placed the menus on the

table and said, "Carmine will be with you in a minute. Enjoy your meal." before walking off. Bobby took the side of the booth were he

would be facing the door; Alex got in on the other side. As soon as they had sat down, their server, Carmine, showed up. He poured

some water into the glasses that were already sitting on the table. "Would you guys like to have your usual?" he asked looking from one

detective to the other. "Yeah. I would." Alex said. "Hold the onions, though. I want a chocolate shake this time." "How about you,

Detective Goren?" Bobby nodded his head. "I'll try the banana shake instead." Carmine nodded at them and then walked off to put their

order in.

* * *

Alex leaned back in the booth with her arms crossed, looking at Bobby expectantly. Bobby copied her pose. He was trying his best not 

to smile. "Alright, Robert Goren. Spill it." "Spill what?" "You know damn well what." Bobby shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea what

you are talking about," he said, toying with her. Alex let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. If you're not going to tell me how you know

Angel, I sure in the hell am not going to tell you how I know her, Janelle and Drew." Alex turned her head and looked out the window.

Bobby looked at her, shaking his head. "Eames, you are no fun." She looked back at him with a smirk on her face. "I know. Now, talk!"

Bobby chuckled and held up his hands. "Ladies first. How do you know them?"

* * *

"There used to be this bar called Daddy Fat Cat's on my old man's beat. That place had fights there practically every weekend. Janelle's 

dad, Eddie Lee, used to go there to get drunk. He wouldn't start any fights, but he sure was in the middle of them. One Friday night,

Janelle's mom, Loretta, went down there to drag Eddie Lee home. A fight had already broke out when she got there, so the police were

there dragging people out to take them to jail. My dad had Eddie Lee in custody. Loretta begged him to let her take him home." "What

did your dad do?" "Dad felt sorry for her, so he let him go and told her to contact him if Eddie Lee got into any more trouble. Let me tell

ya, Eddie Lee stayed in trouble. Especially if he and his brother-in-law Clyde got to drinking together. One night, they got so drunk, they

left the bar and went to Eddie Lee's house and kicked Loretta and Janelle and her brother Jayson out of the house just so they could

drink with some old buddies." Bobby snorted. "Sounds like a jackass." Alex nodded. "I think Janelle was 5, Jayson was 6. Anyway,

they walked all the way to Dad's precinct to ask him for help. He brought them to our house for a couple of days while he tried setting

Eddie Lee straight about what his priorities should be." "What happened after that?" "Eddie Lee decided to get sober. He quit drinking,

joined AA and kicked Clyde to the curb. We kept in touch with them. Exchanging birthday cards, Christmas cards, stuff like that. Janelle

would write to me every once in a while, letting me know what was going on with her."

* * *

"So, when did you meet Angel?" Bobby asked. Alex was about to answer when Carmine came back with their food and drinks. "Here 

you go, Detective Eames," he said, "one cheeseburger, no onions, fries and a chocolate shake." He put the same thing down in front of

Bobby. "Detective Goren, here's your cheeseburger, fries and banana shake." Bobby inhaled deeply the smell of the cheeseburger. "This

smells great, Carmine." Alex had already bitten into her burger, so all she could do was nod and give the thumbs up sign. "Enjoy your

food. I'll be back in a bit." Carmine said with a smile. Bobby bit into his burger. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. "This is just

what the doctor ordered," Alex said after taking a sip of her shake. Bobby just nodded. "It's a good thing we only come in here twice a

month." "Why's that?" he asked. "I don't think my waistline could handle it." Alex puffed out her cheeks to make her point. Bobby just

grinned.

* * *

After taking a few more bites of his food, Bobby asked again, "When did you meet Angel?" Alex wiped her mouth with a napkin before 

answering. " It was some time before I had enrolled in the Academy. I was out on a date with Joe at Ming's when I ran into Janelle and

Drew. Angel and Garvin were with them. They were up here visiting from Tennessee, each of them celebrating their first year

anniversary." Bobby held up his hand to stop Alex. "Angel and Garvin were already married?" Alex nodded. "Yeah. Janelle and Drew

got hitched the day before Valentine's Day; Angel and Garvin got married on Saint Patrick's Day." Bobby laughed. "Angel never told me

she got married on Saint Patrick's Day," he said. Alex said, "Angel told me they did it to be different. Anyway, we all hung out and had a

great time. We kept in touch as best we could. We tried to hang out whenever they came up to visit." "What was Garvin like?" Bobby

asked softly. Alex thought for a minute. "He was really nice, polite and funny. He reminded me of Will Smith when he and Drew would

be cracking jokes on each other. And smart, too. He had this incredible knowledge of music history." Bobby silently nodded. He started

thinking how could he possibly measure up to Angel's late husband. How could he possibly even think he was good enough to be with

someone like her.

* * *

"How did you meet Angel?" Alex asked, shaking Bobby out of his thoughts. "You remember when my mom had her hip replacement 

surgery a couple of years ago?" Alex nodded. "I met Angel at the hospital on the day of Mom's surgery. She was there because her

friend T. J. was having knee replacement surgery." "You picked her up at the hospital? Man, you are smooth." "No, no, no. I….I wasn't

trying to pick her up. She introduced herself to me while we were in the waiting room. We just talked and got along good." "Good?"

Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "By the way you were staring at her, I'd say you got along better than 'good.' " Bobby smiled

sheepishly. "Women who are pretty and smart have that effect on me." "Yeah, that's what I thought."

* * *

Bobby and Alex continued eating and drinking. Bobby sighed heavily and asked, "Are we going to tell Ross we know people connected 

to this case?" Alex looked into her partner's brown eyes for what seemed like an eternity, trying to figure what he was thinking. Finally,

she said, "My gut instinct is telling me if we hand this case over to someone else, it won't get solved." "Do you think they're involved at

all with DeMarco's drug dealing?" Alex shook her head. Bobby ran his hand through hair a couple of times. "I agree with you." "Of

course, if it turns out that he's a big time well known drug dealer, you know we'll have to turn this case over to Narcotics." "So, the

answer to my original question is….." "No, we're not telling Ross we know people connected to this case." Bobby smiled at the sound

of defiance in Alex's voice. He knew what she thinking without her having to say it: Yes, they will probably get in trouble for jeopardizing

the case, but dammit these people were their friends and needed resolution in their friend's murder.

**

* * *

****Monday, August 14  
1PP Parking Garage, 3:10 p.m.**

Angel managed to get the next to last visitor parking space in the 1PP parking garage. She saw that she was 20 minutes early for her

appointment with Detectives Goren and Eames, so she turned off the motor to her Saturn Vue and decided to wait before going inside.

She leaned against the headrest and sighed, wiping the occasional teardrop from her cheek. "Dammit, DeMarco," she said to herself. "I

was not ready for this. Not yet." As soon as she said that, she heard her mom's voice in the back of her head saying, _"Just like we _

_don't know when Jesus is coming back, we can't be ready for Death." _Angel shook her head. She looked over at the passenger seat

where the business card Bobby had given her was laying. She picked up it to look at it. _"I'm surprised he didn't get a paper cut from _

_pulling this card out so fast," _she thought. Angel smiled to herself as she read the card: Detective Robert Goren, Major Case Squad.

She put the card back down and picked up her cell phone to dial a number.

"Hello," a female voice answered.

"Hola, Mami." Angel said.

"Hola, mi hija. Como esta?"

"I'm good, Mami." Angel replied in English. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good. What's going on, Baby Girl?" Angel smiled. "Not much."

She heard a clanging noise in the background. "Uh, Mama, what are you doing?" Laurel sighed. "I know your daddy and I taught you

and your brothers how to cook. So, why is it I am cooking for your brother James while his wife is out of town?" "Well, don't forget

Tabitha managed to burn water while trying to cook spaghetti on their first date. Maybe James wants some decent meals before she

comes back home." "Then I ought to make him cook at his own house." Angel chuckled a little.

* * *

"Mami, I have some bad news to tell you." 

"Que es eso, Angel?"

Angel sniffed before answering, "DeMarco's dead." Laurel gasped. "Ay, Dios mio! When? What happened?"

"The police came by the shop and told us. They said he died of a drug overdose."

"A drug overdose?! When did DeMarco start using drugs?!"

"Dee never used drugs, Mami! I think somebody forced him to take them." Angel saw in her mind's eye her mom crossing herself. "Do

they know who did it? Or why?"

Angel said, "The police haven't told me much yet. I'm waiting at the police station now so that I can go with them to the morgue and ID

his body." "Why are you doing it? Why not his aunt or uncle?" "Because I have power of attorney. Remember?"

Laurel clicked her tongue. "I forgot. Are you okay?" Angel picked up the handkerchief Bobby had given her to wipe her eyes. She

looked down at the Superman logo that was on her t-shirt and said, "I guess this 'S' on my chest will have to stand for Superwoman

today." "Do the police think he was killed because he was a drug dealer?"

* * *

Laurel knew about DeMarco's secret life. Angel had told her the day before her wedding. Laurel expressed concern about having him 

around, but Angel assured her mother Garvin had everything under control. She accepted her only daughter's word that DeMarco would

bring no trouble, but she warned her if any hurt, harm or danger befell them, all hell would break loose.

Angel shrugged despite the fact Laurel couldn't see her. "I don't know. They did find some marijuana stashed in his Explorer and I told

them about him dealing drugs."

"Have you told his family about his death yet?"

"We called and told Miss May and Mr. Albert before leaving the shop. I left Drew and Janelle at Sasha's."

* * *

"Do you remember Janelle telling you about a police officer named Johnny Eames?" 

"Yeah, I do. He and his wife helped her family when Eddie Lee got drunk, right?" "Yeah, that's him. His daughter Alex is one of the

detectives that came to the shop to tell us about DeMarco. You'll never guess who her partner is."

"Who?"

"Bobby," Angel said softly.

"Bobby?" Laurel asked. "As in he-who-gave-you-the-gold-heart-shaped-locket-you-wear-everyday-which-you-are-playing-with-right-now Bobby?"

Angel stopped moving the locket up and down its chain and smiled to herself. "Yeah, that's him."

"Oh my. How did that go?"

"Well, put it this way, Mama: if it was some other guy besides Bobby undressing me with his eyes, I would have been seriously disgusted."

Laurel chuckled. "I see." Angel looked at her watch. It was 3:25. "I better go, Mami. It's almost time for my meeting with Alex and Bobby."

"Okay, sweetie. Let me know what's going on. I love you, Baby Girl."

"I will. I love you, too, Ma. Bye."

Angel closed her phone. She flipped the sun visor down to look in the mirror. The end of her nose and eyes were red. She sighed heavily

as she dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief. Angel put on her black framed sunglasses with blue tinted lens and gathered up her

purse and a file folder from the passenger seat and got out of the car.

* * *

Angel walked into the Major Case Squad room right at 3:30. She looked around the room, but didn't see Bobby or Alex anywhere. She 

stood there wondering if she should go back to the visitor's desk to wait for them when Megan Wheeler walked up to her. "Hi, I'm

Detective Wheeler. Can I help you?" Angel took off her sunglasses and extended her hand. "I'm Angelica Pierson-St. John. I'm suppose

to meet Detectives Goren and Eames here." Megan shook her hand and said, "They haven't made it back in yet, but you can take a seat

near their desks. Follow me." Angel followed her to Bobby and Alex's desks. "Thank you," Angel said as she laid her belongings on

Bobby's desk. "You're welcome." Megan started to walk off, but turned back around and asked Angel, "Did you use to sing with a

group called The Saints?" Angel smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did." "I thought so. I saw you perform at a club in Boston. You have an

amazing voice." Angel blushed slightly. "Thanks, Detective Wheeler." Megan smiled at Angel, then headed back to her desk. "Who's the

pretty lady?" Logan asked, pointing his chin in Angel's direction. Megan replied, "That's Angelica Pierson-St. John. She and her late

husband used to have a band called The Saints in the late 90's." "Wow. A celebrity in our presence. I'm impressed," he said in a

deadpan voice before turning his attention back to his computer.

* * *

Bobby saw Angel sitting in the chair next to his desk when he walked in. He stopped to look at her. He noticed she was playing with the 

charm attached to her necklace. _"That's the locket I got her," _he thought. He smiled to himself as he remembered giving her the small

box it came in. Angel was so speechless when she had opened the box, all she did was cry and hug him. Bobby noticed that she had

pulled her hair into a ponytail with a deep part on the side and was biting her bottom lip. He willed himself to not get turned on. _"Down, _

_boy." _he told himself. He looked around to see if anyone noticed him getting all hot and bothered. Bobby took a deep breath and

released it as he walked over to his desk.

* * *

"Hi," Bobby said to Angel. She looked up at him and smiled. "Hi." He put his binder on his desk and sat down. "Are….are you okay?" 

"I'm good. Just a little nervous about going to the morgue." "Don't be. We'll try to be as quick as possible." Angel bit her lip again which

almost caused Bobby to hyperventilate. "You're going to have to stop doing that." Angel looked at him in confusion, but then the light

bulb came on. "Sorry," she said softly. "I forgot my nervous habit is a sexual turn-on for you." Angel looked down at her K-Swiss shoes

to avoid Bobby's eyes. Bobby was about to lean to catch her eye, but Alex walked up. "Hey, Angel."

* * *

Angel looked up at Alex. "Hi, Alex." Alex looked from Bobby to Angel and back. She got the impression she interrupted something. 

Bobby stood up and said, "I'm gonna hit the men's room before we go." Alex and Angel watched Bobby quickly walk away to the

restroom. Alex turned to Angel and said, "You're gonna make him run into something before too long." Angel chuckled and shook her

head. "I'm not doing anything. At least, I don't think I'm doing anything." Alex pointed to the file folder laying under Angel's purse. "Is

that a copy of the power of attorney?" "Yes, it is." Angel opened the folder and pulled out the paper. She handed it, along with 2

business cards, to Alex. "Mr. Brewster is the lawyer who drew up the power of attorney. Mr. Fisher's the lawyer who drew up

DeMarco's will." "DeMarco had a will?" Angel nodded. "Why 2 different lawyers?" Angel sighed. "You'll think I'm strange when I tell

you." "When you've been on the Goren Express for as long as I have, strange is the rule, not the exception." Alex said with a smile.

"Something about Mr. Brewster didn't seem right. He just….creeped me out." Alex made a mental note of Angel's statement. She

picked up a Post-It note and scribbled on it. She placed it on Bobby's binder. "We can wait for Goren in the SUV." "Okay," Angel said.

She picked up her belongings and followed Alex out the door.

**

* * *

****Monday, August 14  
M. E.'s Office, 4:00 p.m.**

Alex and Bobby arrived at the medical examiner's office with Angel in tow. The ride on the way there had been solemn. Angel sat behind

Alex, leaning her head against the window not saying a word. She would sniff every now and then. Alex and Bobby snuck quick peeks at

her to make sure she was okay. Bobby held the morgue door open as Alex and Angel walked through before him. Dr. Rogers was

looking through a microscope when they waked in. She looked away from it, rubbing her eyes. "Afternoon, detectives," she said as she

stood up and walked over to the trio. "Hey, doc." Alex said. "Dr. Rogers, this is Angelica Pierson-St. John. She's here to ID the

Anderson body." Dr. Rogers and Angel shook hands. "Mrs. Pierson-St. John, please step over here with me." Angel said nothing as Dr.

Rogers took her by the arm and led her to the table where a sheet covered body lay. Bobby and Alex hung back. Dr. Rogers stood on

the side opposite Angel and folded back the sheet.

* * *

Angel covered her mouth as she looked at DeMarco's lifeless form. Tears streamed freely down her face. "Oh, my." "Is this DeMarco 

Louis Anderson?" Dr. Rogers asked. Angel nodded. She took a deep breath and walked closer to the table. She placed her hand on his

head and stroked his hair. "Oh, sweetie. Garvin's gonna be mad at you for meeting him so soon." She continued looking at him, taking in

his features. She looked down at his arm and saw the needle marks in his arm. Angel then noticed the long, big bruise going across

DeMarco's chest. "Dee, who hurt you?" she asked in disbelief. She half expected him to answer her. Angel looked at Dr. Rogers.

"When will you release his body?" "Sometime Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning." "Okay." "There's some paperwork for you to

fill out. My assistant can help you." Dr. Rogers nodded at the dark haired young man who appeared next to Angel. "This way, ma'am."

he said, turning and pointing to the door. Angel didn't say anything as she followed him. She stopped and looked back at DeMarco

before going out the door.

* * *

"What killed him, Doctor?" Bobby asked. "A combination of heroin and cocaine." she replied. "A speedball killed him?" Alex asked. Dr. 

Rogers nodded. "With the amount of those drugs in his system, I'm surprised he was able to drive. He should have died within a couple

of minutes of injection." "Did he have any other drugs in his system?" "No." Bobby had walked over to DeMarco's body. He lifted up

DeMarco's right hand to look at the burn mark. "This looks like a…a brand of some sort." Dr. Rogers held a magnifying glass over the

mark. "It's the devil's face. And it was done pre-mortem." Alex walked over to get a closer look. "Somebody's going around branding

drug dealers as devils. How ironic," she said. "That's not the only unusual thing. Goren, help me turn him on his left side." Bobby did as

he was instructed. Dr. Rogers pointed to 2 needle marks located on DeMarco's right shoulder. "He was injected here as well. They're

fresh just like the ones in his arm." They placed DeMarco on his back again. "Anything else we need to know?" Alex asked. "Nothing

else stands out right now. I'll write up my report and get it to you by tomorrow afternoon." "Thanks, Dr. Rogers," Bobby said as he and

Alex headed out the door.

* * *

Angel was sitting in the waiting room area when Alex and Bobby came out. She was dabbing at her eyes with Bobby's handkerchief 

when they walked up to her. She had put her sunglasses on to hide her red eyes. "Angel, you okay?" Alex asked. Angel barely nodded.

"What killed him?" "A combination of heroin and cocaine." Angel looked up at Bobby, then Alex. She looked down at the floor and

started to speak. "I know you guys think we're stupid for being DeMarco's friends because we knew he was a drug dealer. But you've

got to understand, we loved him and prayed he would stop living this dangerous secret life." Bobby squatted down so he could be eye to

eye with Angel. Angel looked at him. "We don't think you and your friends are stupid." Angel stared deeply into his eyes, searching for

the truth to his statement. "Are you going to stay on the case? Try to find his killer?" Bobby nodded. Angel looked to Alex for

confirmation. Alex nodded. "The only way we'd be taken off this case is if our superiors decide this case should go to Narcotics."

"Sounds fair enough." Bobby stood as Angel got up out of her seat. She took his hand and held it in both of hers. "Thank you," she

whispered. Bobby smiled. She let go of his hand and touched Alex's arm. "Thank you."

**

* * *

**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: I'm back! L&O: CI belongs to Dick Wolf and company, so please don't sue. Enjoy:o)**

**Monday, August 14  
Major Case Squad Room, 5:45 p.m.**

"What have you got on this Anderson case so far?" Captain Ross asked. Alex and Bobby had just sat down at their desks. Alex said,

"We checked with the clerk from the bodega the victim had gone to this morning. She said he was a regular customer, came in twice a

week for a gallon of orange juice. She said he wasn't acting weird when he came in. He seemed normal. We talked to the people at

Computer City. They were the last ones to actually talk to him." "What did they have to say for themselves?" Bobby replied, "They

admitted they knew he sold marijuana, but weren't involved with his dealing." Ross sighed as he rubbed at his temples. "Is this a case

we should be kicking to Narcotics?" "I…I don't think so, Captain. Whoever killed DeMarco Anderson must have killed him for

revenge because we found a stash worth almost half a million dollars in the back of his SUV. If this were a turf war, they would have

taken that." "So, the killer or killers are either stupid or independently wealthy. Is that what I'm hearing you say, Detective?" Bobby

chewed the inside of his cheek a few times while counting to ten in his head before answering icily, "I'm just saying that we should

follow all leads we have before jumping to conclusions. Sir." Captain Ross and Bobby stared at each other for a long time.

* * *

Alex waved the copy of the power of attorney Angel had given them under Ross' nose to get his attention. "We got this from Angelica 

Pierson-St. John. She's in charge of the victim's affairs. We got permission from her to search Anderson's home. We're doing that

tomorrow." Ross gave Bobby one more icy look before taking the paper from Alex's hand to look at it. "What killed DeMarco

Anderson?" he asked as he was reading. "A mixture of cocaine and heroin was injected into his system. Dr. Rogers said she'll have

her report to us by tomorrow afternoon." "Is there anything in Anderson's background that suggests he's a terrorist?" "Nothing yet,

sir, but we have a couple of more leads to follow and we're getting his arrest record from New Jersey." Captain Ross put the paper

down and looked at Bobby. "So, what is your plan of action in regards to the drug dealing angle?" Bobby took a deep breath before

standing up to his full height, forcing Ross to look up at him. "We've got a meeting with Lt. Antonio Garcia in Narcotics tomorrow

afternoon to see if DeMarco Anderson was on their radar." With that, Bobby walked off in the direction of the locker room.

* * *

Ross pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Is your partner having a particularly bad day?" Alex had to keep herself from cursing 

him out. "He's doing just fine, Captain." "Okay. Finish up whatever you've got to do and go home. Don't forget you two have to be

in court tomorrow morning. Good night, Detective." "Night, sir," Alex said to Ross' departing back. As soon as he was out of ear

shot, she muttered, "Smug son of a bitch." "I heard that." Alex jumped slightly at the sound of Mike's voice. She gave him a dirty look

as he passed by her desk, a smug grin on his face. She allowed herself a small smile as he winked at her on his way to the elevator.

* * *

Bobby plopped himself down in his chair. "You okay?" Alex asked. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and nodded 

before moving his hands. "I'm just fighting the serious urge to take off my shoe and beat the shit out of Ross with it." "Those are nice

shoes. It'd be a shame to get them covered in blood. Or shit." Bobby smiled wryly at Alex's attempt to make him feel better. "I…I

wish I knew what the hell he wants from me." Alex shrugged. "Who knows what bug he has up his butt." Alex picked up her phone to

listen to her messages. Bobby did the same. When Bobby hung up, Alex said, "Janelle left a message saying DeMarco's family is

coming from New Jersey tomorrow. They're going to be staying at his Uncle Todd's house." "Same Uncle Todd he got caught dealing

drugs with?" "I guess so." Bobby sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face; Alex yawned and stretched. "How about we write up

what we can and get outta here by 6:30?" she asked. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

* * *

Alex and Bobby rode in silence to his apartment. Bobby leaned his head against the headrest and stared out the window. "Dirty little 

thoughts of Angel running through your mind?" Alex asked. Bobby chuckled. "I wasn't thinking about her, but thanks for putting the

thought in my head." "Oh. Alannah must be doing naked back flips then." "Hmmm. Even better." "Ugh! God! I'm sorry I said

anything!" Bobby laughed loudly. "Let's change the subject before I give you any more ideas." "What else should we talk about?"

"How about what you want for your birthday dinner?" Bobby shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever you and your mom decide on will

be fine with me." "I was thinking we'd have a cookout. Hot dogs, hamburgers, stuff like that." Bobby perked up a little bit. "You going

to make the coleslaw?" he asked hopefully. "Yes, I will make the coleslaw. I suppose you want Jill to make her world famous baked

beans." He shrugged. "Well, only if she wants to," he said nonchalantly. Alex laughed a little. "You're so silly. What kind of cake do

you want?" "A yellow cake with chocolate frosting," Bobby replied instantly. "I can now tell Mom with confidence that you will show

up for your birthday party." Bobby nodded and turned to stare out the window again.

* * *

"How long have you and Rob known each other?" Alex asked. "We met the first day of boot camp," Bobby replied. "Ah, I see. Is 

that where the 'Robby-Boy, Bobby-Boy' comes from?" "Yeah. There was this black girl named Roberta Watkins in our company.

She was from the Bronx and named after her paternal grandmother. When she said 'Robert' we'd both answer. One day, she decided

to call Rob 'Robby-Boy' and me 'Bobby-Boy.' Rob came up with the name 'Bertie-Girl' for her. He and I were the only ones

allowed to call her that. Anybody else trying to call her that would run into a flurry of fists." Alex snorted. "I'd try to deck somebody,

too, if they called me 'Bertie-Girl,' " she said. "Rob's a real good guy. He's got this sort of…Zen quality about him." "Really? How

so." "It seemed like everyone in our company would go to him for advice. He was the official unofficial chaplain so to speak. He

seems to know how to communicate with anybody." "He sounds like a real good friend to have around."

* * *

"Tell me something," Bobby asked. "Sure. What is it?" "Back at Computer City, when Drew said his wife packed a punch, you 

smiled. Why?" A big smile spread over Alex's face. "When Janelle and her family first came over to our house, I think Shane instantly

fell in love with Janelle. He would always call her "his Janelle" when he talked about her. Mom had a cookout birthday party for

Shane's 10th birthday. Some of the neighborhood kids were there. Janelle and Jayson came. There was this kid named Allen at the

party. He was a big 12 year old bully. He called Shane a "N- lover." 9 year old Janelle, who was smaller than this 12 year old, walked

over to where they were standing, balled up her fist and knocked Allen down to the ground. She stood over him waiting for him to get

up. Lucky for him, he stayed down. Needless to say, Allen wasn't welcome to our house or functions any more." "How much trouble

did Janelle get in?" "Oh my God!" Alex exclaimed. "I thought her mom was going to have a heart attack when she found out what

Janelle did. Loretta keep apologizing to my parents about her behavior. My parents were cool about it though. I think Janelle got

grounded for 2 or 3 weeks. Hell, me and John were kinda mad she hit that bully before we had a chance to."

* * *

Bobby asked, "Was Shane still in love with her after that?" "Worshipped the ground she walked on," Alex replied. "He really liked 

Janelle. He took her to his junior and senior proms. Shane told me one time he wished he had taken a chance to be with Janelle, you

know. Date her, maybe try to marry her." "Do you think your parents would have approved?" Alex shrugged. "I really don't know.

I'd like to think so. I'd like to think Mom and Dad would have been at least open minded if Shane dated Janelle." Bobby nodded. He

turned his head to stare out the window again, his thoughts turning to a possible future with a caramel skinned Angel in it.

* * *

"Here we are," Alex said as she stopped the SUV in front of Bobby's apartment building. Bobby picked up his binder and said, 

"Thanks." He was half way out when he stopped and got back in. "Do you want to come up? Rob's probably cooking dinner by

now." Alex shook her head. "Nah. Thanks for the offer though. Mom left a voicemail message inviting me over for dinner. Said she

was making enough pot roast to feed an army. I can't resist." "Okay. Have a good night." "Same to you." Bobby got out and closed

the door behind him. He had taken a couple steps away from the vehicle when Alex called his name. He walked back and leaned in

through the window. "Since we have to be in court tomorrow morning, how about I pick up you a little early so we can have breakfast

at that new diner Logan raved about last week?" Bobby thought about it for a second before saying, "Sure. I'll see you about 6:45?"

"Yep." "Alright. Good night, Alex." "Good night, Bobby."

**

* * *

****Monday, August 14  
Bobby's Apartment 7:00 p.m.**

The smell of garlic and onions and the sight of Lewis sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on his coffee table greeted Bobby as

he entered his apartment. Lewis looked away from the TV and raised the bottle of beer he was drinking. "Hey, Bobby! Welcome

home!" he said. Bobby shook his head and sighed. "Lewis, could you at least take your shoes off so my cleaning person won't go

crazy trying to get the scuff marks out of my nice wood coffee table?" "Man, wearing those suits has REALLY changed you." Bobby

stuck out his tongue at Lewis before putting his leather binder and tie down on the countertop. Rob was tossing the fixings for a Cesar

salad together. Bobby walked over and peered over his shoulder. "Hey, Bobby-Boy," Rob said as he poured a bag of croutons into

the salad bowl. "Have a good day?" "It was okay," Bobby said as he took the empty bag from Rob to read the label. "How did you

manage to get homemade croutons from Elgin's Bakery? They only make them for their extra special customers." "I called them 2

weeks ago to let them know I would be in town and wanted some bags of their croutons." "I've been going to them since I was a kid!

I can't even get them to make me one lousy bag!" Rob shrugged. "I guess I'm more special than you." "Hmmph!" Bobby grunted.

* * *

"How come you didn't invite Alex up for dinner?" Rob asked. At the mention of Alex's name, Lewis muted the TV, got up and sat on 

one of the barstools near them. "That's a good question, Rob. Why is the fair Detective Alex not here?" he said, looking at Bobby.

"Her mom invited her to have dinner with her and her dad," Bobby replied to Lewis. "Which seems like a good idea. Did you invite

Lewis over here to hook him up with Alex?" Rob stopped tossing and stared at Bobby with wide eyes. "Do I look like I have 'stupid'

branded across my forehead?!" he asked. "Lewis was waiting here on your doorstep when I came home. Pissing off a woman who

can pick me off 100 yards away with a Glock is not high on my list of stupid things to do!" "Aw, come on, Rob." Lewis said. "You

promised you'd talk to her." Rob turned and looked at Lewis, pointing his index finger. "Oh no! I said if the opportunity presented

itself, I'd say something to her about you."

* * *

Bobby looked on with amusement as Lewis and Rob debated with each other. He knew they'd go on like that for 5 minutes before 

Rob came up with a solution Lewis would agree to. It felt good to be with his friends. Being with them sometimes made him long for

the precious few good times he had with his brother. Bobby shook himself of the sad feeling that was about to overtake him. Since the

great debate was still raging on, he decided to open fridge to get himself a beer. As he was turning to open the door, he noticed the

light on the answering machine was blinking. "Ssshh," he said as he pressed the 'play' button.

"_Hello, Robert. It's Alannah. I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to tell you that I'm in South Beach this week, but I should get back to New York by Friday night or Saturday morning. I can't wait to see…every…inch…of…you. Bye."_

* * *

The low, sultry, sexy sound of Alannah's voice made Lewis' and Rob's mouths drop open and stare at the answering machine. Bobby 

ran his hand through his hair and massaged the back of his neck. His ears turned slightly red. Once he recovered, Rob said, "I need a

cigarette and a cold shower." "No," Lewis said, "that's a carton of cigarettes and a week's worth of cold showers voice. Is that who I

think it is?" Bobby nodded. "Damn! No wonder I don't see or hear from you for 2 weeks after your birthday." "Well, I guess I'd

better make plans to make myself scarce this weekend," Rob said. "No, you don't…don't have to do that. Alannah probably has

made reservations at a hotel somewhere." Lewis asked, "You have a picture of this woman? I have GOT to see this woman who can

twist you up in knots." "I don't have a picture of her, but you'll get to meet her Sunday."

* * *

Rob and Lewis exchanged looks. Lewis shrugged and said, "Go for it, Rob." Rob stroked his chin a couple of times before saying to 

Bobby, "Um, how are we going to meet this lovely lady friend of yours?" "Alex and her family are throwing a birthday party for me.

You, Courtney, Lewis and Alannah are invited." "Oh, okay. I've got just 2 questions then." "Shoot." "How did Alex manage to

convince you to have a birthday party?" "I couldn't think of a good enough excuse not to have one." "Alright. I'll buy that. My second

question: who else besides me, Lewis, and I'm assuming Alex, know about your and Alannah's….situation?" "Just you three," Bobby

replied. _"And Angel," _he thought. "Well, I'm out of questions. Lewis, you got something to say?" "I just want to know if Detective

Alex will allow me to cop a feel at the party," Lewis said as he waggled his eyebrows. Rob laughed. Bobby playfully punched at

Lewis, but he moved out of the way. "Man, you are such a horny dog," Bobby said as he laughed. "You guys entertain yourselves. I'm

going to take a shower." Bobby reached into the fridge and got his beer. He shook his head as he took a sip and headed towards his

bedroom.

**

* * *

**

**Monday, August 14  
Eames' Residence, 7:20 p.m.**

Alex pulled up in her parents' driveway at the same time as Shane. "Hey, Lex Luthor," he said as she got out. "Hey, Super Shane,"

she replied. "What are you doing back here so soon?" "When Mom called me today all I heard her say was 'pot roast' and 'come for

dinner.'" She gave him a quick hug and started walking with him to the house. "Whose mini van is that?" Alex asked, pointing with her

head. "Jill's. She and Bryce traded in her old one after they left my place Saturday." "Very nice." Shane knocked on the door before

opening it. "After you, Miss Lexi," he said, making a sweeping hand gesture as he held the door open. "Why, thank you kindly, Mr.

Shane," Alex said in a fake Southern accent. They laughed as they entered the house.

* * *

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad." Alex said when she got in the kitchen. "Hey, sweetheart," Janet said. She was placing the pot roast pan on 

the table. Johnny had just finished placing the last plate on the table. Alex tiptoed to give him a peck on the cheek. "Hey, darling," he

said. Janet asked, "Where's Shane? I thought I heard him come in with you." "Oh, he went to the bathroom," Alex said over her

shoulder from the kitchen sink. Jill walked in. "Hey, Alex." "Hey, Jill. Nice mini van you got." "Thanks." Alex dried her hands and sat

down at the table. Jill sat next to her. "So, how did you manage to get away from Bryce and the kids?" Alex asked. "Bryce is gone to

an engineer seminar his company is hosting in Virginia all this week. My wonderful big brother and sister-in-law agreed to take the kids

for the monthly Eames bonding sleepover tonight." "You got the house all to yourself tonight, so you're spending it with us?" "Yeah.

Besides, Mom said she was making pot roast." Alex hung her head and shook it. "Geez, we're sad," she said. "Who's sad?" Shane

said as he came in. He kissed his mom's cheek and sat down. "Mom makes great pot roast. That fact alone should make you want to

come home." "Thank you for the compliment, Shane," Janet said. "You're welcome, Mom." Alex and Jill rolled their eyes. Alex

covered her nose and mouth as if she had to sneeze. "AH-SUCKUP!" she said. Everyone laughed. Shane said to Alex, "You're just

jealous because I'm Mom's favorite." "Yeah, right. I'm Mom's favorite," she countered. "You're both wrong," Jill interjected. "I'm

Mom's favorite." "You all are my favorite," Janet said. "Now dig in before the food gets cold."

* * *

"How was your day, Alex?" Johnny asked. "It was okay," she finally replied after chewing and swallowing her food. "I saw Janelle 

Hamilton today. Well, actually she's Janelle Spencer now." "Really?" Janet said. "Where did you see her?" "At Computer City, that

computer repair place that took over Uncle Buddy's TV Repair Shop. She was one of three people who last saw the vic alive in a

case Bobby and I caught today." "Oh my goodness!" "She still married?" Shane asked. Alex nodded. "Drew was another person I

had to interview." "Dang!" he mumbled under his breath. Alex shot him a quick look, but decided not to say anything. "Still the same

feisty Janelle we know and love?" Jill asked. "Oh, yeah. You better believe it. You guys remember her best friend, Angel, don't you?"

Everyone shook their heads. "The young light skinned black lady I asked to sing 'Amazing Grace' at Joe's funeral. The one with the

gray eyes." "Oh, I remember her now!" Janet said. "She had the prettiest gray eyes and a nice Southern accent. She sang beautifully at

the funeral." Shane and Jill nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I really liked her accent and her singing," Jill said. Alex said, "She's living up

here now." "Let me guess," her dad said, "you had to interview her, too." "Yeah, I did."

* * *

"I don't mean to change the subject," Janet said, "but did you tell Bobby we're throwing a birthday party for him?" "Yes, I did," 

answered Alex. "As a matter of fact, he's happy with my suggestion of having a cookout with hamburgers and hotdogs. He has even

put in a request for my coleslaw, Jill's world famous baked beans and a yellow cake with chocolate frosting." "Well! I'm impressed."

"And some of his friends are going to come." Janet raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm past impressed. I'm now flabbergasted!"

"Who's he inviting?" Shane asked. "His friend Rob Duncan, who's visiting from Atlanta, Rob's daughter Courtney, Lewis the

mechanic and Alannah." "Who's Alannah?" Janet and Johnny asked at the same time. "Someone's Bobby's been seeing off and on for

a while now," Alex said quietly. "Bobby's bringing a date?!" exclaimed Jill. "Oh, Mom. You're going to have to break out the real

good china for this occasion!" Janet opened and closed her mouth a few times. "I'm now speechless. Are there any other surprises I

need to know about?" "Just that I invited Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler. She's bringing her nephew." "What about Captain

Deakins? Are you going to invite him?" Johnny asked. "The thought had crossed my mind. I'll call him before I leave for work in the

morning."

* * *

Janet clasped and unclasped her hands. "Well, this is turning into a great party. Since Shane would like to stare and drool over his 

Janelle, maybe I'll ask Loretta to bake Bobby's cake and invite her and her family to the party." Shane whipped his head around to

look at his mother. She flashed him a motherly know it all smile. He rolled his eyes. "Sounds like a good idea, Mom," Jill said. "It'll be

good to see them again anyway. Unless it interferes with your investigation." Janet looked at Alex hopefully. Alex shook her head. "I

don't think it will be a problem." "Good. Everybody eat up before your food gets cold," Everyone started talking about other things

with their mouths full. _"Oh boy," _Alex thought,_ "if Janelle comes, she'll want to bring Angel along with her. Bobby will probably _

_freak out if Alannah and Angel met. I gotta remember to tell him tomorrow that his party is going to get extremely _

_interesting."_

**

* * *

**

**Monday, August 14  
Bobby's Apartment 7:20 p.m.**

Bobby stepped in the shower and sighed. The warm water ran over his head and down his body, relaxing his tired muscles. Seeing

Angel again had brought a flood of memories back to him. As he continued to let the water run over him, Bobby thought back to the

last time he had seen Angel cry.

_**

* * *

**__**Two year ago  
Last Monday of July**_

_Bobby had just come home from work after having an uneventful day. Of course it would be since Alex was gone on vacation _

_for 2 weeks. As he walked towards his apartment, he saw someone sitting on the ground in front of his door. When he got _

_closer, he realized it was Angel. She got up as he got to the door. Bobby frowned as he looked at her. Her eyes were red and _

_tears were rolling down her face. She wiped at her nose with the huge wad of Kleenex she had in her hand. "Angel, what's _

_wrong?" he asked. Angel stared at the floor, shaking her head. He put his index finger under her chin, lifting her head to _

_make her look at him. "What's wrong?" "T.J. dies,' she replied softly. _

* * *

_T.J. had been diagnosed with a brain tumor the year before. The doctors had said that it was not growing, so there was no_

_need to operate. This year, after her knee replacement surgery, the tumor started growing rapidly, taking T.J. away faster_

_than anyone had been prepared for. Bobby pulled Angel into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Thanks," Angel said as she_

_pulled away from him. Bobby noticed she had a small duffel bag at her feet. Angel stuffed her hands into her white denim_

_shorts pockets and looked at the duffel bag before looking back up at Bobby. "Would it be okay if I stayed here tonight? I_

_need to get away from the chaos before it starts." "Sure. You can stay in the extra bedroom." "Thanks." She pulled 2_

_twenties and a ten out of her pocket and put them in Bobby's hand. "What's this for?" Angel shrugged. "To help take care of_

_my lodging and food for the night. If it's not enough, I'll get you some more later." Bobby shook his head. "You don't owe me_

_anything," he said as he tried to hand the money back to her. She shook her head. "Use it to order dinner then."_

_

* * *

Bobby let out a sigh as he put the money in his jacket pocket. He unlocked the door and opened it. Angel picked up her bag_

_before he had a chance to get it for her, so he stepped aside to let her go in. She stood in the living room area and waited for_

_Bobby to close the door. He said, "Make yourself at home," putting his binder down on the counter. "I'm going to put my _

_stuff down, if that's okay." "Sure, go ahead." Angel headed straight to the 2__nd__ bedroom and sat down on the bed, placing _

_the bag down on the floor near her feet. Bobby's large frame filled the bedroom doorway as he stood there and looked at _

_Angel, who was just staring at her reflection on the blank TV screen. "Do you…you need anything?" She turned and looked _

_at him, giving him a weak smile. "No, thanks. I just want to take a shower." "Okay. I'm going to order Chinese for dinner. _

_That okay?" Angel nodded. Bobby smiled at her and walked off to his bedroom._

_

* * *

By the time the food had been delivered, Angel had showered and put on a t-shirt and shorts. She was in Bobby's spare _

bedroom, laying on her side, hugging a pillow and staring at some movie playing on the TV. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes

every now and then. Bobby had changed out of his suit and into a gray NYPD t-shirt and lounging pants. He went and stood

in the doorway again. "Angel, food's here." She lifted her head to look at him and said, "I'm not hungry." She put her head

back down and continued staring at the TV. Bobby stepped into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. "Baby, you need to

eat," he said. Angel sat up, putting the pillow behind her. "What'd you say?" she asked. Bobby held out his hand to help her

to her feet and said, "You need to eat." Angel smiled and took his hand. She stood up and gave him a hug. "I heard 'baby' in

there somewhere." She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back at her and shrugged. "Maybe you did. Maybe you

didn't," he replied as he kissed her forehead and led her out to the living room area.

* * *

They talked very little as they ate. Bobby was pleased Angel ate as much as she did. He suspected she probably hadn't eaten 

since breakfast because she had called him while she was waiting in line at Elgin's Bakery for a blueberry bagel with

strawberry cream cheese. Angel offered to help him clean up, but Bobby just shooed her back to the spare bedroom. When he

finished cleaning up, he went to his bedroom. He opened his nightstand drawer and took out a key ring with one key on it. He

went and stood in Angel's doorway again. She was laying down, hugging a pillow. "May I come in?" Angel sat up and patted

the bed. Bobby walked into the room and laid down in the bed on his side, propping himself up with one arm. Angel put the

pillow behind her head and scooted closer to Bobby, laying on her back to look up at him. She put her leg over his legs as she

touched his nose with her index finger. "It's getting late," she said softly. "You should go to bed and get some sleep." Bobby

shook his head. "Not until you go to sleep." "You must be planning on injecting caffeine directly into your veins." "Whatever

it takes to make sure you're okay. This….this is for you."

* * *

Bobby showed Angel the key ring and put it in her hand. She held it up to look at it. "What's this for?" "For you to escape 

the chaos without having to wait on me to get home." Angel inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Oh, Bobby, I can't take this. I'd

be invading your space." She tried to hand the key back to him, but Bobby wrapped his hand around hers to keep the key in

it. "I enjoy the company. Keep it until you go back home." He pleaded with his eyes. Angel sighed. She pressed her lips

together, looking at her hand in Bobby's. "Are you sure? You've only known me since April. I could be some kind of serial

killer," she joked. "Well, I'll just have to take my chances then, won't I?" Bobby leaned down and kissed Angel's forehead.

She reached up and touched the side of his face. Bobby closed his eyes, leaning into her hand, soaking in Angel's touch. He

curled his toes a little because every time she touched him small sparks of electricity coursed through his body. " I have the

alarm on my cell set to go off at 6:30. Is that too late for you to get up for work?" she asked. "That's fine." Angel rolled

away from Bobby to put the key on the nightstand. She turned the TV off with the remote, then turned off the lamp. She rolled

back into Bobby's waiting arms, snuggling herself into him. " 'Night, Bobby." " 'Night, Angel." Bobby laid there awake,

listening to Angel breathe. As her breathing became heavier, he realized she had actually fallen asleep. Bobby smiled to

himself and kissed the top of her head. He finally allowed himself to follow his Angel into slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's notes: In case I haven't said it enough times already, L&O:CI characters don't belong to me. So, no suing, okay? Thank you. Any mistakes made are my own. Read and enjoy :o)**

* * *

Bobby stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He put on his robe and headed into his bedroom. He changed into a white t- 

shirt that had "NYPD" emblazoned across the front in black letters and gray shorts. He sat down on the bed, then laid back to stare at

the ceiling, his hands intertwined behind his head. _"I must be crazy," he thought. __"Angel even didn't tell me she had moved up _

_here. Maybe she doesn't want to see me anymore." _A knock on the door interrupted Bobby's thoughts. "Dinner's ready, Bobby,"

Rob said. Bobby sat up and pushed himself off the bed. Rob put his hand on Bobby's chest to stop him. "You okay?" he asked.

Yeah, I'm fine." Rob narrowed his eyes at him before moving out of the way to head towards the kitchen. _"Yeah, right. Tell that lie _

_to somebody who doesn't know you," _Rob thought to himself. When Rob and Bobby walked in, Lewis was already sitting at the

table, eating a heaping plate of Cesar salad and spaghetti and meatballs. "Uh, Lewis," Rob said, "is it good?" Lewis smiled with his

mouth full and gave him the thumbs up sign and kept stuffing his face. Rob chuckled. "My folks taught me well then." Bobby and Rob

fixed their plates and joined Lewis at the table.

* * *

It was a little after 8:00 p.m. when the guys had finished eating dinner. Bobby and Lewis went into the living room area while Rob 

stayed in the kitchen to get dessert ready. He walked out with 3 bowls of peach pie with vanilla ice cream. "Oh, man, we get dessert,

too!" Lewis exclaimed as he took the bowl from Rob. "Rob, you are going to make some woman an excellent wife one day." Rob

rolled his eyes as he sat on the opposite end of the couch from Bobby. He lightly kicked at Lewis. "Here you go, Bobby," Robsaid as

he held out a bowl to him. Bobby was staring at the muted TV, so absorbed in his own thoughts he didn't hear Rob. "BOBBY!"

"Huh? What?" Rob held the bowl up in front of Bobby's face before placing it in his hands. "Oh. Thanks," he said quietly. "What's

wrong with you?" Rob asked. "Yeah, man," Lewis piped in, "you've been too quiet." Bobby shook his head as he took a bite of his

dessert. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking."

* * *

"Would you mind letting the rest of us know what's running through that genius mind of yours?" Rob said. Bobby opened his mouth to 

say something, but changed his mind. He placed his dessert on the table, got up and went into his bedroom. When he came back out,

he had a small picture album in his hand. He handed it to Rob and sat back down on the couch. Rob opened the album. The first

picture he saw was of Bobby and Angel, standing in front of his apartment building with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Who's this?" "Angelica Marie Pierson-St. John. I saw her today," Bobby said. Lewis leaned over to look at the picture. "Oh, that's

Angel. I remember her. She was cool as hell," he said. Rob asked, "How did you get to meet her?" "Mr. Workaholic here actually

took a week off from work to hang out with her. He brought her by the shop." "Is this the Southern belle you were crushing on a

couple of years back?" Rob asked Bobby. "Yep. That's her," Bobby replied. Rob continued looking through the photo album as he

asked, "How did you get to see her today?" Bobby cleared his throat. "The victim of the case Alex and I caught today was a friend of

hers." Rob looked away from the album. "Oh, man. That sucks. She handle the news well?" Bobby nodded. "What is it about this

pretty lady that has you so lost in thought?"

* * *

Feeling a sudden burst of pent-up energy, Bobby stood up, stepped over the coffee table and started pacing. "Angelica…Angel is one 

of the most incredible women I have ever met or dated," he said. Bobby started moving his arms wildly as he talked and paced.

"She's smart, funny, beautiful, shy, and sexy. She has a great smile and a beautiful laugh. Not one of those 'tee hee' girly laughs. I'm

talking about one of those laughs that starts in your gut and comes out and is heard above the crowd. She …she can sing and loves

todance and speaks Spanish fluently. She …she likes to travel and has a sense of adventure and goes to church. She loves her family

and friends. Do you know she was married to her husband for 10 years before he died?" Bobby had stopped pacing and looked at

Lewis, then Rob. When they didn't say anything, he started pacing and moving his arms again. "Being partners with Alex is the longest

committed relationship I've been in! Angel is…is kind and gentle and a good listener."

* * *

"When she smiles at you, her smile actually reaches her beautiful gray eyes," Bobby continued. She's got …got a wonderful sense of 

humor, loves to read and play video games. She's got this air of cool class and elegance about her. She's down to earth and humble

and friendly and 34 years old. Angel is very different from other women I have been with." When Bobby had paused to catch his

breath, Rob said very calmly, "It sounds like Angel is a wonderful woman. So, what are you stressing about? Her age?" Bobby

stopped pacing and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not stressing about her age. It's just…Angel has been living here since January

and she didn't even bother to tell me that in her last e-mail. I'm just trying to figure out if I should even bother wasting my time asking

her out on a date!" Rob turned to a page in the album, turning it around to show to Bobby. It was a close up shot of Angel wearing the

locket. "Did she have this necklace on when you saw her today?" he asked. Bobby sighed and replied, "Yeah, she had it on." "Well,

then the answer to your question is 'Yes, you should call her.'" Lewis asked, "What makes you say that?" as Bobby went to sit down

on the couch again. "It's obvious, Lewis," Rob said. "Anyone who holds onto any kind of object from a past relationship is trying to

hold onto memories from that relationship." "She's been living here in New York City for at least 7 months and didn't ever bother to

tell Bobby. It's obvious, Rob, that she doesn't want anything to do with him!" "I have to agree with Lewis on that one."

* * *

Rob sighed as he put the photo album on the table. He put his elbows on his knees, his hands covering his face as he shook his head. 

"Don't take this the wrong way," Rob said, still shaking his head, "but I love you guys like my own brother, but sometimes you both

can be complete idiots." He stood up and stepped over the coffee table like Bobby had done. He turned around and looked at

Bobby. "Asking this woman for a date is not what you're stressing about. What you're really stressing about is making a choice."

Bobby and Lewis both opened their mouths to say something, but Rob held up his hand to stop them. "Hear me out on this. On the

one hand," he said, holding up his left hand, "you have Alannah. She's this fiery and voluptuous Amazon with a sex drive that's

cranked up to 11." Rob held up his right hand. "On this hand, you have Angel. She's the girl-next-door type. You have to decide

which one you want: the once a year mind blowing sex woman or the settle down and grow old with woman. Am I right?" Bobby

stared at Rob for 30 seconds before looking away at the TV. "Yeah, you are," he said softly. Lewis looked at Rob in wonder. "How

the hell did you come up with that?" "Listen and learn, Grasshopper. One of these days you'll grow up to be just like me," Rob replied

with a smile.

* * *

Turning his attention back to Bobby, Rob said, "Let me ask you something. In the 4, 5 years you've known Alannah, have you seen 

her any other time besides on your birthday?" "Including my birthday, I saw her 4 times last year." "You told Angel about Alannah,

didn't you?" Rob stated more than asked. Bobby nodded, wondering how he knew. "Okay. I'm about to make a WAG here," Rob

said. "Wait! Time out!" Lewis said. "WAG? What's that?" "Wild ass guess," the Roberts said simultaneously. "Oh. A military term.

Gotcha. Carry on." "As I was about to say," Rob said, "Alannah sees you as her readily available "friend with benefits." Rob made

quotation marks in the air with the index and middle finger on each hand. "She can get with you at any time with no strings attached.

Angel, on the other hand, probably thinks she has no place in your life if you've got "friends with benefits" running in and out of your

life. So, the necklace to her is a nice reminder of the time she spent with you. If you two keep in touch every now and then, her not

telling you she moved up here is no big deal because she probably thinks you've already got someone and that you wouldn't care that

she's here in New York. But you're not going to know the real reason why she didn't mention her moving up here unless you call her

and ask." Having said all that, Rob picked up Lewis' empty bowl and walked off to the kitchen. Bobby and Lewis both sat there

dumbfounded. "Damn, he's good," Lewis said. All Bobby could do was nod in agreement.

* * *

**Monday, August 14  
Bobby's Apartment, 9:55 p.m.**

Lewis had left around 9:00 because he had 2 deliveries and 3 pick ups to make before 11:00 a.m. Rob was cleaning up whatever little

mess he had made in the kitchen. Bobby was in his bedroom, sitting on the bed. He was leaning against the headboard, staring at the

cordless phone he was holding. He was debating whether or not he was going to call Angel. "Come in," he said to the sound of the

knock on the closed door. Rob opened it and leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. "You want me to make you

breakfast in the morning?" Rob asked. Bobby shook his head no. "Alex is picking me up a little early tomorrow. We're gonna try this

new diner that's 3 blocks from 1PP." "Oh. Okay. I'm not going to be here tomorrow night. I'm gonna spend the night with Lizzie and

Courtney." "Won't Lizette's boyfriend get upset that you're spending the night?" Rob shrugged. "Don't know and really don't give a

damn. I'm going to see my daughter and my ex-wife is kind and gracious enough to let me stay on her sofa overnight." Bobby

chuckled at his friend's attitude. "Anyway, there's some lasagna in the freezer you can take out for tomorrow night's dinner. Of

course, you're gonna have to share with Lewis." "You know, I can cook for myself." "Yes, Bobby-Boy, I am perfectly aware that you

can cook. But I figured since you're letting me stay here for free, the least I can do is cook to say thank you."

* * *

Rob pointed at the phone in Bobby's hands. "You gonna call her?" It was Bobby's turn to shrug. "I'm thinking about it. I think I may 

be too late. I may have lost her." "Why do you say that?" Bobby shrugged again, not sure how to explain himself. "You're not going

to know unless you call her. So, call already." "Don't rush me! I gotta think about what to say." Rob chuckled. "Robert Goren at a

loss for words when it comes to talking to a female? I'm shocked. Well, if you do call her, tell the bonita senorita I said 'hola.' I'm

heading to bed. Night, Bobby-Boy." "Night, Robby-Boy." Rob turned and closed the door behind him. Bobby started staring at the

phone again and thinking about Angel.

**

* * *

****Two years ago  
2nd**** Wednesday in April**

"_You can wait in here, Mr. Goren," the nurse said as she held the waiting room door open for Bobby to walk through. He was _

_the only person in there. "Thanks," he __said as headed towards the set of chairs closest to the TV. The nurse, whose name was _

_Abby, had told him that Wednesdays and Thursdays were usually the slow __surgical days so he'd probably be by himself in the _

_room the whole entire day. His mom's surgery had been scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m., but they had to get to the __hospital a _

_couple of hours beforehand to get Frances Goren checked in, prepped and other things. Bobby sat down and watched the TV, _

_sipping on the remainder of __his coffee._

* * *

_20 minutes had passed when the waiting room door opened again. It was Gabriella, one of the nurses Bobby had seen at the _

_registration desk. "Hi, Mr. Goren," she __said, flashing him a wide smile. "Hi, Gabriella." She was leaning against the open _

_door, looking down the hallway. "Waiting for a ghost to come in?" Bobby asked __jokingly. Gabriella laughed. "No. I'm _

_waiting for our other surgery patient's friend." As soon as she had said that, in walked a tall, caramel skinned black woman. _

_She had on a gray t-shirt with the words "Middle Tennessee" on it, stonewashed jeans and white Reebok tennis shoes. She _

_had a lightweight jacket tied around her __waist, her backpack purse slung over her shoulder, carrying a clipboard. Her hair _

_was done in a simple cornrow style, pulled into a ponytail, the ends of her hair were __loose and curly. Bobby noticed she had a _

_tribal band tattoo around her upper right arm. _

* * *

"_Sorry," she said to Gabriella, pointing to the cell phone in her hand, "Everyone wants to make sure T.J.'s okay." "That's_

_alright. Mr. Goren thought I was waiting __for a ghost." The gray t-shirt woman smiled and said hi. Bobby smiled back. _

_"She's pretty," he thought before turning his attention back to the TV. She followed __Gabriella to some chairs away from the _

_TV and sat down. They went over the paperwork that was attached to the clipboard for a few minutes before the nurse _

_took __it away from her. Gray t-shirt woman got up and followed Gabriella out the door._

* * *

"_I brought you some more coffee," Gray t-shirt woman said softly to Bobby. Bobby looked away from the TV. She was _

_holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. __He stood up, taking the proffered cup from her. "Uh, thank…thank you," he _

_said, "that's very kind." "You're welcome." She held out her hand. "I'm Angel." "I'm __Bobby." Bobby clasped her hand and _

_smiled at her. As he was shaking her hand, he noticed that her eyes were sparkling and gray. Angel blushed and cast her eyes _

_downward at the attention Bobby was giving her. Bobby let her hand go and apologized. "Bad habit," he said. She chuckled. _

_"It's okay. May I sit next to you?" __Bobby nodded and pointed to the chair next to his chair. Bobby asked Angel about her _

_accent to get the small talk started. She told him she was from Nashville, TN __by way of Madrid, Spain. Her parents had had _

_a wealthy benefactor who paid for them to study overseas in Spain. Her four older brothers had been born in __Barcelona; she _

_in Madrid. They had moved back to the States when she was four._

* * *

_The more Bobby talked to Angel, the more he was amazed by her. He found her easy-going and funny. She asked him _

_questions about his police work and what he_ _liked about living in New York. They had so much to talk about they didn't _

_realize time had passed them by until Gabriella came in and told Bobby that his mom was __out of surgery. Bobby and Angel _

_both stood up and shook hands. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Angel." "Same here, Bobby. I hope your mom gets well." _

_Angel __blushed again at Bobby's stare. He chuckled nervously and blushed as well, running his hand through his hair. "I'm _

_sorry about the staring. It's just you are a…a __beautiful and interesting young woman." Angel blushed again. "Thank you." _

_Bobby nodded at her and followed Gabriella out the door._

* * *

_Later that afternoon, Bobby was sitting in his mom's room when Gabriella entered, followed by a delivery guy carrying a big _

_bouquet of flowers. "Here's the flowers_ _you ordered for your mom, Mr. Goren," Gabriella said as she cleared a space on the _

_bedside table. She patted the empty space and the delivery guy put the flowers __down. Bobby stood up, hiding his surprise. _

_"Uh, thank you." He reached into his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill, handing it to the delivery guy. He thanked __Bobby _

_and followed Gabriella out the door. Bobby pulled the card out of the flowers and read it. It said, "Best wishes for a speedy _

_recovery. Signed, Angelica __Pierson- St. John." He smiled to himself at Angel's ingenious plan to keep in touch with him. He _

_put the card in his pocket and sat down, still smiling. He now had a __way to find __his Angel._

* * *

Bobby took a couple of deep breaths and dialed Angel's number.

* * *

"Hello," Angel said. 

"Hey, Angel. It's Bobby."

Angel perked up. "Hey, Handsome. How are you?"

Bobby chuckled at that. Angel always started her e-mails to him with 'Hey, Handsome.' "I'm fine," he said. "I bet you say that to all the guys."

"Only to native New Yorker males over six feet tall," she said teasingly. "Well, then I guess Garvin and Drew must have heard it a lot."

"I'll have you know that Garvin was only six feet tall and was born and raised in New Jersey. While Drew is 6 foot 1, he was born in

Saint Louis and lived there until he was 8. So, I guess that leaves you, Mr. Detective."

Bobby smiled. "Touché, Ms. Pierson-St. John. Are you okay?"

Angel sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess. Just trying not to think about DeMarco."

Bobby heard a beeping noise in the background. "Are you cooking something?" "Oh, no. I'm setting the alarm, locking up the house

for the night." Bobby glanced at his bedside clock. It was 10:23 p.m. "Geez. I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it was. I'll call you

back later."

"No, no, no. That's okay. I'm too wired to fall asleep yet. Hold on a sec while I finish locking up." "Okay."

* * *

Angel was going down her hallway, turning off lights. She went into her bedroom and turned on her nightstand lamp, then headed into 

her bathroom to turn on the night light. She came back out and got in her bed, sitting up, leaning against the headboard. "I'm back,"

she said into the phone. "Welcome back. May I ask where we are?"

Angel giggled. "WE are in my bedroom. Welcome to it." Bobby loved her giggle. "Hmmm. Not a bad place to be."

"Okay, just so you know. If you ask me what I'm wearing, I'm hanging up. Knowing you like I do, that's a prelude to phone sex."

"Phone sex? Now that sounds like a wonderful idea, but we've only been talking for a couple of minutes. Give me a chance to work up to it."

Angel laughed loudly. "Bobby G, you're soooooo silly!" "I'll take that as a compliment. Besides, you know I'd do anything to make sure you're okay."

"I know you would. Thank you." "Seriously," Bobby said. "Are you okay?"

Angel got quiet for a minute before sighing heavily. "I'm okay. It's just…I feel like I should have done something to keep him safe."

"Short of turning in him for drug dealing, what could you have done, Angel? DeMarco chose that life on his own, not you."

"I know, but still…"

"But nothing, Angel. You can't hold yourself responsible for his actions."

Angel sighed. "I needed to hear that. Thanks."

* * *

"_Well, here goes nothing," _Bobby thought to himself. He took a deep breath and said, "May I ask what has brought a Southern belle

such as yourself to the Big Apple?" He mentally crossed his fingers that Angel wouldn't get upset at the question.

Angel chuckled softly. "I was wondering when you'd ask me that. Well, if you must know, 2 things brought me here to your wonderful city."

"Really? What 2 things?"

"Well, Janelle and Drew found out their bookkeeper was skimming money from them. They weren't the only ones who had money

stolen from them. Anyway, Drew called me up and asked me if I would come and be their bookkeeper. They'd make me an equal

partner in Computer City if I came up here. I told him I'd think about it. A couple of days after that, this girl I went to MTSU with

named Leandra came down to Nashville to visit her family and to look me up because she found out I was working for one of the

city's prestigious accounting firms. She had told her bosses at Martin, Baker and Martin that I passed the CPA exam on the first go

round. They were interested in having me at their firm."

"Hmmm, I see. So what did they offer you to get you here?"

"I have 3 major clients to deal with. I work from home. Or in this case from Computer City and home. I have to actually go into the

office once a month for a full week. They paid my moving expenses and the closing costs on my house. With all that, I decided I could

come up here and be partners with my best friends."

* * *

Bobby was quiet for a moment as he digested all this information before he asked the all important question, "Why didn't you tell me

you moved up here?" Angel didn't say anything right away. Finally, she softly answered, "I didn't want you to think I was assuming

we'd pick up where we left off 2 years ago."

"You could have told me anyway. I would have been happy to see you ."

"I know you would have. It's just that I know you have your mom and her issues and your job to deal with. And there's Alannah, too.

I…I just didn't want to complicate your life any more than necessary."

Bobby shook his head. He mentally cursed at himself for telling Angel about Alannah and cursed at Rob for being right. He finally

found his voice and said, "I'm already complicated as it is. You wouldn't have added any more complications. Please…please know

that." "I know, Bobby. I know."

* * *

After a few minutes of heavy silence, Angel decided to try to lighten the mood. "Your birthday's this Sunday," she said. 

"Yeah, it is."

Even though she knew who and what he'd be doing on his birthday, Angel asked, "Any big plans to celebrate this milestone?"

"I'm actually going to have a birthday party. Alex and her family is throwing it for me. Would you like to come?" Angel was caught off

guard more by the fact that Bobby was having a party than by his question. "Uh, uh, I'm not sure. Can I get back to you later?"

"Sure."

"I'd like to take you to lunch sometime next week to celebrate your birthday."

A sexually suggestive thought crossed Bobby's mind. He smiled as he said, "Lunch sounds good, but I was thinking of something else."

"Okay," Angel said cautiously. "What were you thinking of?" "Something to do with dinner and nudity."

Angel chuckled. "Ah, I see. Is this the part of the conversation where we have phone sex?"

"Yes, it is. Besides you owe me."

Angel pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. That's one thing she liked about Bobby: his ability to switch gears in the middle

of a conversation. He definitely kept her on her toes. "Pray tell, Bobby G. What do I owe you?"

"The mentioning of a sexual turn-on aloud." Angel snorted. "Excuse me? You're the one who pointed out I was biting my lip." "True,

but you were the one who said, aloud I might add, it was a sexual turn-on for me. Therefore, you owe me."

Angel giggled. "Okay. I'm game."

* * *

"Do you have a boyfriend?" 

"Why, yes. I do have a B.O.B. His name is Wee Jimmy."

"Wee Jimmy? Why do you call him 'Wee Jimmy'?"

"Because whenever I take him out for a ride, I always go 'Whee!'" "If you took a ride on me, would you go 'whee?'" Angel gasped

for air. "Oh my God!" she muttered to herself.

Bobby laughed. He knew she was trying to think of something to top that statement. He also knew Angel didn't get too easily offended

by what he said, just slightly shocked.

"Gee whiz, Batman! Thank you for the lovely visual!" Angel finally said, laughing. "Damn, Robert! You go straight for the main event.

Forget the foreplay!"

"Well, true. But you haven't answered my question."

Angel thought for a moment. Then she said in her best, low sexy voice, "Si, Papi Chulo. I'd ride you like the stallion you are."

Bobby was more turned on than shocked by what Angel said. "Be careful of what you agree to," he said in a husky voice, "I may

make you prove that statement."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"Well, I'm still waiting to hear the laundry list of my sexual turn-ons."

* * *

Bobby glanced at the clock again and realized they had been talking for almost 45 minutes. He sighed heavily. As much as he was 

enjoying talking with and teasing Angel, Bobby knew he had better practice some form of self control and end this conversation now

before he did what his body was telling him to do. "I tell you what. How about I tell you in person over lunch next week?"

"Cool."

"Or better still, at my birthday party on Sunday."

Angel hesitated before answering. "Maybe." Bobby mentally kicked himself for pushing the party on her again.

"I guess I'd better try to get some sleep," Angel said. "I have to go into MBM tomorrow for a client luncheon."

"Yeah, me too. Alex is picking me up early so that we can try out this new diner for breakfast."

"It was great to see you again, Bobby."

"Same here, Angel."

"Just let me know when you'd like to do lunch next week, okay?"

"I will. Question: is doing you considered lunch?"

Angel laughed. "God, you are such a freak! It's a good thing I like you or I would be really offended." Bobby just laughed.

"Good night, Bobby G."

"Um, before I say good night, I have a poem I'd like to tell you."

"Okay."

Bobby cleared his throat. "Roses are red, violets are blue, Heaven must be missing an angel because I know I miss you."

Angel smiled. In the very first e-mail Bobby had written to her after she had gone back home to Nashville, he wrote that at the very

end. She still had that e-mail. "Thank you, Bobby. I've missed you, too."

"Good night, Angel."

"Good night, Bobby G."

* * *

**Pretty tame phone sex I know. But hey, you've got to build up to these things. Chapter 6 is on its way. :o)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes: This chapter is rated M for the sexual situations. You have be warned. For anybody who has seen the movie, think of Sandra Bullock's character in "Miss Congeniality" for Janelle's sing song voice. Y'all know the drill, so I'm not going to say it. Read, review and enjoy:o)**

**

* * *

****Monday August 14  
Angel's home 11:55 p.m.**

Angel pressed the 'end' button on the cordless phone and laid it on the nightstand table. She got out of the bed and went into the

bathroom to brush her teeth. She rinsed her mouth out and turned off the water. She flipped the bathroom light off and walked out.

She stopped at her dresser and picked up her locket. She opened it up to look at the picture of her and Bobby in Central Park. He

was sitting on a bench; she was standing behind him, leaning down with her arms wrapped around his neck. Bobby had taken the

week off to be with her to do the tourist-y stuff she had wanted to do. She smiled as she ran her thumb over the picture. She closed

the locket and put it back down. She crawled into her bed under a light sheet. Angel said a silent prayer, then turned off the nightstand

lamp. Within a few minutes, she was sound asleep with visions of Bobby floating around in her head.

**

* * *

****Two years ago  
2****nd**** Friday in May**

"_Where are we going?" Angel asked Bobby. It was 10:00 p.m. on a Friday night. They had just finished eating dinner and _

_were now in a cab headed somewhere only Bobby and the driver knew because Bobby had whispered the location into the _

_driver's ear. "You'll see," he replied mysteriously. Even though they had met a month ago and had met for a few late night _

_coffees (hot chocolate or tea for her), this was technically their first date. "Come on. Tell me." "No. You'll see when we get _

_there." Angel gave him a pouty look, her bottom lip slightly stuck out. Bobby chuckled lightly at the look. He leaned over and _

_kissed her, slowly running his tongue across her bottom lip. Angel's eyebrows went up in surprise. This was their official first _

_kiss and Bobby was already using his tongue. She felt herself get wet and yearned for more. "Oh my God! I want him!" she _

_thought.  
_

* * *

_Angel put her hands on either side of Bobby's face and kissed him back, her tongue caressing his. When they finally came up_

_for air, they leaned into each other, forehead touching forehead. "I had to pout to get you to kiss me?" she asked. He_

_nodded. "Dude, you suck," she said playfully. Angel moved her hands from Bobby's face to his forearms as he moved his_

_head so that his lips were at Angel's ear. He whispered softly, "Well, I do that and eat, too." Yep, she was definitely aroused._

_One more statement like that and she'd do him right then and there in the back of that cab. "Oh my!" she exclaimed softly._

_"You're all that and a bag of chips, huh?" To prove his point, Bobby slowly and lightly licked at her earlobe. He heard her_

_softly panting, trying to catch her breath. He stopped his slow torture and smiled. Point well taken. She had a warm feeling_

_flow over her from the top of her head to the pit of her stomach. Angel finally caught her breath, biting her lip to slow down _

_her racing __thoughts._

* * *

_She leaned back in the seat and crossed her legs, her hands folded her in lap. Angel knew if she didn't move away from him,_

_Bobby would've started kissing on her neck and she would had let him have his way with her right there. Besides, she had a_

_funny feeling that the cab driver had moved his rearview mirror to see the action that was happening in the back. Bobby_

_leaned back, his head resting on the top edge of the seat. He turned his head to look at Angel, a smug look on his face. She_

_rolled her eyes at him and said, "Whatever, dude." He let out a hearty laugh. She leaned over and kissed Bobby on the lips _

_before __moving to copy hispose, her face turned towards him._

* * *

_Bobby took her hand and kissed the back of it. They smiled at each other. Angel saw Bobby's face suddenly cloud over with_

_fear and doubt. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I…I don't want to scare you. I'm probably coming on…too strong. I don't_

_mean to make you uncomfortable." " She squeezed his hand and shook her head. "You're just fine. If I didn't feel_

_comfortable with you, I wouldn't have talked to you at the hospital. Or met you for late night coffee. Or gone on this date_

_with you." Angel looked at Bobby. Doubt still clouded his face. She reached over with her free hand and touched his cheek._

_"I'm fine. We're cool," she said trying to reassure him. Bobby snuggled his face in her hand and closed his eyes. He knew_

_Angel was special and didn't want her to think the only thing he was interested in was sex. True, that's what he wanted, but_

_he didn't want to rush her if she wasn't ready. "Okay," he finally said. When he opened his eyes, the fear and doubt was gone_

_for now. He sat up and put his arm around her, pulling her close. Angel snuggled into him and looked out the window, _

_watching the lights and sights of the big Apple go by._

* * *

_When the cab reached its destination, Bobby put one hand over Angel's eyes. "Bobby, let me see," she said. "Nope." He tried_

_to reach into the front pocket of his jeans to pull out his money for the cab fare, but Angel kept struggling, trying to move his_

_hand. Bobby sighed, turning his head to whisper in her ear, "Please stop or I will resume what I was doing earlier." Angel_

_stopped moving and sighed. She folded her arms across her chest. "Okay. Whatever." He paid the driver, then opened the_

_door, making sure Angel couldn't see. He helped her out of the cab, shutting the door behind them. He turned her around and_

_said, "You can look now," as he dropped his hand. Angel blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the light. She noticed that_

_across the street a line was formed outside of the Fiesta Fiesta Club. Angel looked up at him and smiled. "We're going _

_dancing?" she asked hopefully. "Of course," Bobby said. He took her hand and led her across the street to get in line._

* * *

_Fiesta Fiesta Club, Angel noticed, was a predominately Latin club. There were varying shades and hues of Latin men and_

_women standing in line and bobbing their heads to the beat of the music that was pouring out of the club. She and Bobby_

_didn't look too out of place clothing-wise: Bobby with his untucked white casual dress shirt, dark blue denim jeans and black_

_shoes; she with her dark blue vest, a white tank underneath, lightly faded denim jeans and white K-Swiss shoes with blue and_

_white laces. Angel also noticed that Bobby practically towered over most of the guys there and that some of the ladies were_

_staring at him and licking their lips. Bobby, of course, was oblivious to the hungry stares. Angel smiled to herself and thought,_

_"Great. I'm gonna have to beat them off with a bat."_

* * *

_The music was playing loud and the dance floor was packed when they got into the club. Bobby stood behind Angel as she_

_stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching people dance and nodding her head to the beat. He put his hands behind his_

_back to keep from touching Angel all over. Just having her that close was making him hard. Angel turned around and held_

_out her hand. "May I have this dance?" she asked. Bobby took her hand and let her lead him out on the floor, grateful for the_

_diversion. Bobby enjoyed dancing with Angel, watching her move her body to the rhythm of the music; mesmerized by the_

_way her hips swayed to the beat._

* * *

_After what seemed like an eternity of fast dancing, the DJ finally slowed the music down. Bobby had his arms wrapped_

_around Angel's waist; her arms around his neck. She looked up at Bobby and smiled. He smiled back at her. "God, she's_

_beautiful," he thought to himself. He leaned to put his forehead against hers. Angel rubbed her nose against his nose. "You_

_having fun?" he asked. "Yeah, I am. Are you?" Bobby nodded. He pulled her closer to him to better inhale her scent. Angel_

_smelled like peaches. He moved his head to put his lips near her ear again. Angel pressed her lips together to brace herself for_

_whatever sexual torment Bobby was about to lay on her. "Come home with me," he said in a low husky voice. "I promise you_

_a night you won't forget." Angel gasped as she felt a shiver of excitement go down her back. Bobby smiled to himself at her_

_reaction. He wondered what other erogenous zones Angel had besides her ears. He moaned slightly as he felt her slowly grind_

_her hips against him. Bobby pulled back to look at Angel. She looked at him for a brief second before looking down at the_

_floor. "Look at me and answer," he said. She looked up at him, biting her lip before answering softly, "Yes." That's all Bobby_

_needed to hear before taking her hand to lead her off of the dance floor and out of the club._

* * *

_When they got outside, they walked down the street, holding hands, to get a cab. As they neared a waiting cab, Bobby's cell_

_phone started ringing. "Your jeans are ringing," Angel said with a smile. Bobby stopped to pull the phone out of his front_

_pocket. "Shit!" he said forcefully as he saw the caller ID. It was Alex. He looked at the phone and then at Angel, feeling torn_

_between going to work and getting laid. Angel smiled at him. "It's okay. Answer it." Bobby sighed heavily before flipping the_

_phone open, walking a couple of feet away from her to talk. After closing the phone, he walked over to Angel. He looked_

_down at her, searching her face for a hint of anger or irritation. The only thing he saw was peace and understanding. "I'm_

_sorry." Angel smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's cool. You gotta protect the city from the bad_

_guys." Bobby hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. "I'll make it up to you. I promise," he said softly. Angel just smiled _

_as Bobby took her hand and started walking towards the cab._

* * *

**Monday, August 14  
Bobby's Apartment, 11:55 p.m**

Bobby pressed the 'end' button on the phone and laid it down on the nightstand. He got up and turned off his light. He laid down,

staring up at the ceiling in the dark, hands behind his head. He sighed as he thought about what Rob said about making choices. He

cursed again at Rob for knowing he had told Angel about Alannah. But then again he shouldn't have been too surprised Rob knew.

Rob was scary intuitive sometimes and he knew Bobby well enough to know that when it came to relationships, Bobby would always

try to be honest with the other person. Bobby then started thinking about Angel. He did wonder what she was wearing to bed. He

smiled to himself as he imagined her naked under the covers with Wee Jimmy. He was tempted to call her again to tell her his fantasy

and that he wanted her to fulfill it. "Maybe later," he said aloud as he stifled a yawn. He fell asleep within a few minutes with Angel still

on his mind.

* * *

**Two years ago  
Memorial Day Weekend  
Major Case Squad Room, Early Friday morning**

_Horny. Antsy. Bobby couldn't decide how he felt. He just knew he was glad that this 2 week stakeout was over and done with, _

_Thieves had been breaking into warehouses all over the city. The powers that be decided that all the borough precincts would _

_put in double overtime to make the city safe for its citizens. It had gotten personal for the NYPD when a couple of guards, _

_who were retired NYPD police officers, had gotten shot and killed. They finally caught a break when an anonymous tip came _

_in about the next robbery. As much as Bobby enjoyed being a detective and solving cases and having Alex as his partner and _

_best friend, both were getting on his nerves right now because they had cut into his sex life or lack thereof. He had talked to, _

_but not seen, Angel since their date. Every time he imagined what she looked like naked, he'd have to go off and pace for a _

_while to work off the hard on he'd get. Hell, this was energy he could have been spending on sexual activity. Instead, it was _

_being wasted on waiting for a break in a case._

* * *

_Even being part of the arrest team didn't help relieve Bobby's pent-up energy. He was sitting at his desk, one leg going up_

_and down furiously while he was typing up his report, his face scrunched up with intense concentration. Alex, sitting at her_

_desk, downed the last cold drops of her coffee and then stretched. "You all right over there?" she asked. Bobby stopped_

_moving his leg, but kept on typing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired and ready to get the hell outta here." "Me too." Bobby glanced_

_at the clock on the computer. It read 3:50 a.m. He groaned silently. Just then Captain Deakins came through, stopping at_

_their desks. "Good work, you two," he said. They both murmured thanks. "I want you both to take this holiday weekend off._

_I expect to see you back in here bright eyed and bushy tailed Tuesday morning." "Thanks, Captain," they said. "Don't thank_

_me. You've earned it. I expect you to be gone in 5 minutes." He walked off to his office. "Well, he doesn't have to tell me _

_twice," Alex said. "Let me go to the bathroom and then I'll give you a ride home." "Okay."_

* * *

_Bobby powered down his computer when Alex walked off. He picked up the phone and dialed a number._

"_Hello?" a sleepy female voice said._

"_Hey, Angel. It's Bobby."_

"_Hey, you. How are you?"_

"_I'm okay. Um, are…are you working this weekend?" Bobby knew Angel was working temporarily as a _

_bookkeeper/receptionist at a friend's security company while she stayed up in New York to help take care of T.J._

"_No, I'm not. Jayson gave me the weekend off. Why?"_

_Bobby took a couple of deep breaths before saying, "Pack a bag. I'll be by to pick you up in 20 minutes." Bobby's leg started _

_going up and down furiously again. He heard her fumbling for something in the background. "Bobby, it's almost 4:00 a.m. _

_and I just fell asleep about 30 minutes ago. You can't wait to see me later?"_

"_No, I can't. I have the whole weekend off and I intend to spend every last minute of it cooped up in my apartment with you." _

_Horny was winning out over antsy right this minute._

_Angel was quiet for about a minute. She softly sighed and said, "Okay. I'll be waiting for you." She chuckled a little. "You're _

_lucky I like you because I only do one impulsive thing a month."_

_Bobby smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you in a few. Bye"_

"_Bye."_

* * *

_Bobby had hung up the phone when Alex reappeared. "Ready?" she asked. "You go ahead and head on home. I'm gonna_

_catch a cab to see Mom." Bobby lied. "You sure? I don't mind taking you to Carmel Ridge." "Yes, I'm sure. Go enjoy your_

_weekend." "Okay." Alex shut down her computer and followed Bobby out of the squad room and onto the elevator._

* * *

_When Bobby arrived at T.J.'s house, Angel was sitting on the steps waiting on him. He inhaled sharply and whispered "Oh my_

_God" when she stood up. She was wearing denim shorts and a double layer tank top that showed off her breasts. Angel also_

_had on a lightweight jacket to keep her warm against the chilly early morning air, with the hood up and dark shades. She_

_zipped up the jacket when she realized Bobby was staring at her. When he stepped out of the cab, Angel smiled as she took in_

_Bobby's appearance: black t-shirt and dark denim jeans and a 5 o'clock shadow. She noticed Bobby looked tired, like he_

_hadn't slept in a while. Then her eyes traveled below his belt. She could have sworn she saw a slight bulge in his pants. "Oh _

_my!" she said to herself._

_

* * *

_

_Bobby stopped and stood on the 1st step, looking up at Angel. She lingered on the porch, watching the sexual hunger burning _

_in his eyes from behind her dark shades. She took off the shades, hooking one end onto her t-shirt and pushed back the hood. _

_Her hair was no longer in cornrows. It was pulled back with a part on the side. Bobby smiled at the new look. He climbed the _

_rest of the steps and stood in front of her, very close with his hands behind his back. Angel put her hands behind her back as _

_well. "Hi," she said softly. "Hi." Bobby stepped closer to her and inhaled her scent. It was Ylang Rose. A scent of sensuality. _

_He remembered smelling it at Bath and Body Works when he went Christmas shopping with Alex, wondering how he would _

_react if he smelled it when he was horny. He had his answer now. He had to fight the urge of swooping Angel up in his arms _

_to carry her over to the porch swing and having his way with her._

* * *

_Instead, Bobby put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. Angel put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. She_

_gasped and panted softly as he started kissing on her neck. Bobby moaned as he helped Angel move her hips against his body._

_She gasped again as she felt him getting harder and harder. Bobby moved his mouth from her neck to her ear. "I promised_

_you a night you wouldn't forget," he managed to say between breaths. "Would you settle for a weekend?" Angel replied_

_breathlessly, "Yes." "Then I suggest we fuck now, have sex later." All Angel could do was nod as Bobby kissed her deeply. _

_This was the beginning of an enjoyable and unforgettable weekend._

* * *

**Tuesday, August 15  
Computer City, 7:56 a.m.**

"Good morning, Boo," Angel said as she walked through the back door of Computer City. Janelle looked up from the computer she

had laying open in front of her. "Morning, Boo Boo." She saw that Angel was carrying a drink carrier with 3 steaming cups of

something and a plastic bag. She clapped her hands with glee like a little kid and started saying in a sing-song voice, "You brought me

coffee. That means you love me. You brought me coffee. That means you love me." Angel stopped in her tracks and started to laugh.

"Janelle, you are some kind of silly. You know that?" "I know, but you love me anyway." Angel just shook her head and headed over

to the kitchen area. She put the drink carrier and plastic bag down on the counter. She pulled a box of bagels and a box of doughnuts

out of the bag. "Whose computer you working on?" "Mama's," Janelle replied as she snapped in a memory board. "Daddy dropped it

off after we left." She closed the computer case and hooked it up to make sure it worked. "You sleep well last night?" Janelle asked.

Angel sighed. "Yeah, I did. Did y'all?" "Yeah. We spent the night at Sasha's. Just in case she or Celena needed anything."

* * *

Angel walked over and handed Janelle one of the steaming cups. "Thank you." Janelle said. She took a sip and sighed. "Ah. 

Chocolate mocha mint. My favorite. Now I know you love me." Angel laughed. "You're welcome." "Aw, shucky ducky!" Janelle

exclaimed as she noticed what Angel was wearing: a white vest, black pants with white pinstripes and black pumps with straps. "Look

at you, Gangsta! I know there's a hat to match." Angel did a little curtsy. "It's in the car." "Thought so," Janelle said with a laugh.

Angel walked back over to the kitchen area. "You have to work at MBM all this week?" Janelle asked. "No. I'm just going in for this

client luncheon we're having today. I told them I couldn't make it in for the rest of the week because of death in the family," Angel

replied after taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Oh. Okay. Do they know you have a tattoo?" "They will after I go in this morning. You

want a plain or blueberry bagel?" "Blueberry."

* * *

Angel took 2 blueberry bagels out of the box, cut them in half and placed them in the double toaster. She turned around to lean on the 

counter. "Where's Drew? In the bathroom." "Nope. He's still over at Sasha's house." "Oh. Celena have a bad night?" Janelle shook

her head. "He's trying to keep the Puerto Rican posse from starting some shit." "What!? What happened?" Janelle sighed. "I was in

the car coming back from our house when I talked to you last night. Well, after I hung up, Sasha's brother Carlos and his boy pulled

up." "Which one?" "Um, the one that looks like Pitbull the rapper and is always trying to holla at both of us. Armando?" Angel

chuckled. "You mean Orlando. Armando's the cousin that's always trying to holla at you." Janelle snapped her fingers and said,

"Yeah, that one. Orlando. I need steer him more in your direction before Drew tries to kill him." "Uh, I'll pass on that if you don't

mind. I need a man, not a boy toy." "You mean you wouldn't do him?" Angel rubbed her temples and sighed. There were times

Janelle would get distracted and go way off topic. Sometimes it was cute and sometimes it was down right nerve racking. "No, Janelle,

I'm not saying that. I am saying get on with the story."

* * *

"Oh, right. Anyway, I walked into the house with Carlos and Orlando. When we got in the house, Patrick told them DeMarco was 

dead. Carlos stood there real quiet at first. Then he just started flipping out! He cussed and fussed and started going off. 'Somebody

killed my boy! Somebody killed my boy!' He keep saying that over and over. Then he wanted the details. Me and Drew was trying to

tell him what we knew, but then he started asking what was the police doing about it. Drew, Mr. Diplomatic himself, tried telling him

the police was looking into DeMarco's death. Oh, no! What the hell Drew say that for?! Carlos pulled out his gun and started waving

it in the air, saying he was gonna justice for DeMarco with it. Everybody in the house is screaming and crying and upset! Drew

snatched the gun out of his hand and Patrick pushed him up against a wall. He yelled at Carlos for causing the chaos. Him and Oscar

dragged him out of the house, put him in Oscar's car and took him somewhere to calm his ass down. So, Drew's sticking around just

in case Carlos comes back and tries to take his gun back and start some shit."

* * *

Angel was quiet, taking in everything. "Oh my goodness!" was all she could manage to say. The bagels popped up out of the toaster. 

Angel turned around and took them out, placing them on a paper plate and spreading strawberry cream cheese on them. "Do I even

want to know why Carlos is carrying a gun?!" she asked over her shoulder. "Uh, well. Do you want the truth or the real reason behind

the gun?" Angel slapped the knife down sharply on the counter and turned around to look at Janelle. "WHY am I not going to like

hearing this story?!" "Damn, girl, don't get your panties in a twist!" Janelle said calmly as she started unhooking the cables from the

computer. "Get the bagels and your hot chocolate and come sit down so I can tell you. And bring me a doughnut, too." Angel sighed

and shook her head as she turned back around and put 2 doughnuts on the plate along with the bagels. "My family. Gotta love 'em,"

she muttered under her breath as she took the plate and hot chocolate to her desk. She placed the plate in the middle of their desks

and sat down. "Spill your guts, Janelle."

* * *

"Carlos has the gun because he took that courier job. That's truth. The real reason he's carrying it on his person is because he's 

messing around with this girl named Dorlinda from Long Island. Her ex-boyfriend, or so she claims, is some ex-con drug dealer with a

crazy temper." Angel laid her bagel on the napkin in front of her and rubbed at her temples again. "How do you know this?"

"DeMarco told me and Drew." "How did DeMarco know that?" "Dee used to buy his smoking weed from old boy back in the day.

He, the ex-con, was going with Dorlinda even then." Angel sat there, speechless. She had her face in her hand, watching Janelle eat

her bagel. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. _"What if Carlos and his girlfriend are the reason DeMarco is _

_dead?" _Angel thought to herself. Janelle noticed her frowning. "What's wrong with you?" "Nothing." Angel said. "Just thinking." No

need to voice that thought out loud just yet. Janelle eyed her suspiciously. "You're handling this a little too well." Angel shrugged. "It is

what it is. I'm not going to freak out about things I can't control." She began eating her bagel.

* * *

Janelle said, "I forgot to tell you. Miss May said they should be at Todd's house sometime today after Dwight gets off the road." "Oh, 

okay. Did she call Lynnette?" "Yeah. She and David are catching the first thing smoking outta of Saint Louis. They're gonna stay at a

hotel near the airport." Angel frowned and asked, "The Wonder Twins already here?" Janelle shrugged and ate the last bite of her

bagel. "I don't know. But I do know that I'mma beat Queen Bitch's ass next time I see her." "I have got to get you some anger

management classes for Christmas. What happened?" "Eden called and asked Sasha if DeMarco left her his house in his will." Angel's

eyes widened in surprise. "Who told her about DeMarco's will?! Nobody knew about it but the three of us!" Janelle put her hands up

and shrugged. "Dee might have told her. I don't know. After Sasha finished cussing her out, I called Jayson and told him to put Junior

and Junebug on the house." Angel breathed a little easier. DeMarco's twin siblings, Eric and Eden, were trouble to say the least.

"Janelle, leave Eden alone." "Hell, no! Fuck that bitch! Her brother hadn't even been dead 12 hours and she's calling trying to find out

what's in it for her. I got a problem with that!" Angel stood up and leaned on her desk towards Janelle, staring into her eyes. "Just in

case you don't realize it, Billy Bad Ass, you ain't bulletproof! Don't start no mess with her." Janelle stood up and copied Angel's

pose. "I'm not scared of that bitch!" "I'm not saying be scared of her. I'm saying walk away from her before you do or say something

to her that'll get you hurt or put in jail. Because I can guarantee if anything happens to you, everybody will be in jail. Hell hath no fury

like Laurel Pierson and Loretta Hamilton upset." Janelle stood there, chewing the inside of her cheek. Angel stood up straight, folded

her arms and said, " 'I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.' Booker T. Washington." She shook her index

finger at Janelle and then sat down. Janelle exhaled. She looked at Angel for a minute before sitting down. "Fine. I won't _start_

anything, but I sure will _finish_ it if Eden steps to me wrong." "Thank you." "Pfft! I can't stand you!" "I love you, too," Angel said with

a smile as she turned on her computer. She felt much better knowing Janelle would hold her peace for a little while.

* * *

After Janelle had cooled down a bit, she asked, "Did you talk to _Bobby _last night?" She batted her eyes rapidly. Angel laughed. "Yes, 

I talked to him." "So did y'all just talk or did you have sex?" Angel almost spit out her hot chocolate onto her computer screen. Janelle

was famous for her blunt, straight to the point style. Angel managed to swallow and said, "We just talked. On the phone." Janelle

shrugged. "That's what I thought. You weren't walking funny when you came in here." "Good grief, Janelle! Why would you say

that?!" "Good Lord, girl! Did you not see the size of his feet and hands?! If his dick size doesn't match any of that, then something is

really screwed up!" Angel leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling, laughing. "God, Janelle! Stop the madness, baby!" "I'm

speaking truth here, Baby Girl! Somebody that big better be packing a monster in his pants!" Angel sat up, laughing harder and fanning

herself with both hands. "Look at you! I am right. You getting all hot and bothered over there." Angel finally caught her breath,

breathing in and out very deeply and slowly. "Janelle, all I have to say is step to my left because you ain't right."

* * *

"Whatever, dude," Janelle said as she shrugged. "He looks a little heavier than the pictures you showed me." "I was thinking he had 

put on a little weight since I last saw him. But, that's all right. It looks nice on him." "That's true. How old is he?" "Bobby will be 45

this Sunday." "Damn! He's old." "Oh good grief, Janelle. You act like he's as old as Methuselah. He's just 11 years old than me."

"Yeah, but still he's 45." "Even though it's been a while since we've been together, I can say with some certainty that he's probably

not taking Viagra." Janelle opened her mouth to say something, but Angel held up her hand to stop her. "I am through with our

previous topic of conversation." "Dang it! You ain't no fun!" "I know and I am so sorry." They both laughed.

* * *

"Does his family know you're black?" Angel shook her head. "I haven't met his family," she said softly. Janelle cocked her head to the 

side and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh really?" she said defensively. "Why not?" "His dad's dead, his mom is in an institution,

and his brother is an addict living on the streets somewhere." Janelle digested this bit of information. "You mean his mom is in a rest

home?" "No, she's in an institution. She's a schizophrenic." "Oh. So, she's crazy?" "No, Janelle, she's not crazy. She's mentally ill.

Bobby put her in an institution so that she could get the best possible care she deserves. He couldn't handle taking care of her by

himself any more." "What kind of addict is his brother?" "Drugs and gambling, I think." "If he's helping his mom, why isn't he helping

his brother?" Angel shrugged. "I think Bobby has tried to help him, but kind of gave up on him." "Hmm. I see." "Don't judge him too

harshly, Janelle. Bobby's a wonderful person once get to know him." Janelle put her hands up. "Okay, okay. I'll give him a chance.

I'm not gonna try to kick his ass just yet." Angel sighed and shook her head. "Anger management classes for Christmas," she muttered

to herself.

* * *

Janelle asked, "You giving him some for his birthday?" Angel chuckled. "Uh, no. I'm taking him out to lunch next week." "Why can't 

you take him out on Sunday?" "Alex and her family is throwing him a birthday party on Sunday." "Did he invite you?" "Yeah." "You

going? Can I go?" "I don't know if I'm going." "Why?" Angel bit her lip. She had 2 major concerns on her mind: Alannah and Alex's

family. Janelle pointed at her. "You're biting your lip. What's wrong" Angel sighed. "What do you know about Alex's family?" Janelle

had a puzzled look on her face. "I know there's a lot of them, if that's what you mean." "I mean how would they react to having a

black person among them?" "Oh. Well, having been around Alex and her sister and brothers and parents, I can say they're cool. As

for spouses and other relatives, I don't know. They may be cool. They may not be cool." "Why do you say that?" "When I was 8,

they invited us to their family reunion at some park in upstate New York. We went, but we didn't stay long. Maybe 3 hours tops.

Mama got the feeling some of them were genuinely happy for us to be there and some of them were not very happy. So, she decided it

was best if we left." Angel groaned. "That's what I'm afraid of. Plus, I'd be a nervous wreck meeting Bobby's extended family.

Worrying whether or not I'm making a good impression." Janelle smiled. "You worry for nothing sometimes. Everyone likes you as

soon as you smile and say hi." Angel blushed, then smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

"Anyway, don't let the possibility of encountering racism keep you away from Bobby's party. Fuck them bitches if they don't like 

because of your skin color. It's their loss if they don't want to get to know you better." "Well, that's not only reason why I might not

go to the party." "What else is there?" "Alannah Fitzgerald." "Who hell is that?!" "Bobby's uh, friend with benefits." Janelle cocked her

head to the side again, eyes blinking rapidly. "His what?" "Friend with benefits." Janelle was quiet for a moment before she exclaimed,

"He's got a fuck buddy!?" Angel nodded. "How do you know?" "He told me." Janelle's mouth dropped open. "Was this before or

after you slept with him?" "Way before. I'd known him for about 3 weeks when he told me." "You asked him?!" Angel sighed. "No, I

didn't ask. Bobby asked me about my tattoo. I told him I got it on my 30th birthday and the story behind it. Then I asked him when

was his birthday. He told me and then proceeded to tell me how and with who he spent his birthday."

* * *

Janelle rubbed her forehead. "So, she's coming to the party, too?" "I don't know. I didn't ask. I'm going to assume so because her

birthday is the day before Bobby's and they always spend both days together." Janelle continued rubbing her forehead. "Oh, Lord.

That's someplaya pimp shit for real. Does she know about you?" "I seriously doubt it." "You gotta go to this party now to check out

the competition." "Oh, please. I can't compete with this woman." "Why not?" "From what little bit Bobby has told me about Alannah,

she's an Amazon sex goddess with enough sexual tricks to satisfy a man for at least a week. I can count the number of tricks I know

on both hands." "You must have something over her because the way old boy was staring at you yesterday, I'm surprised your clothes

weren't literally burned off your body." "Part of me wants to meet her. See what's so fantastic about her." "Then go to the party." "I

don't know. I'll think about it."

* * *

Janelle stretched her arms over head. "Well, if you don't go to the party on Sunday, you know he'll show up at Club Silkie's Friday 

night to watch you perform." Angel scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Bobby's not going to come Silkie's Friday night."

"Why you say that?" "Since this is their birthday weekend, Alannah and Bobby will probably get their groove on early. Besides I

haven't said anything else about me performing since he and Alex were here investigating." "You wanna bet?" Janelle said with a smirk

on her face. Angel eyed her cautiously. "Bet on what?" "I bet you that Bobby will show up at Club Silkie's this Friday night to watch

you perform. Without Alannah." Angel leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips, thinking about what Janelle just said. "Okay. I'll

take that bet. I'll bet that Bobby won't come to Club Silkie's this Friday because he and Alannah will start their marathon of sex early.

What's the prize?" "For a week, 7 days, the loser has to cook dinner for the winner at the loser's home." "Loser chooses the menu?"

Janelle nodded. "Loser chooses the menu." Angel stood up and leaned against her desk, the pinky on her right hand extended out to

Janelle. "You're gonna lose," Angel said. Janelle did exactly as Angel did. Janelle said sarcastically, "Yeah, right." They hooked their

pinky fingers together and shook.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's notes: My apologies for not posting sooner. I have been traveling (YAY!) and have not been near a computer for a while. I have to give thanks and credit to MARY T for the Mr. Honest label Bobby receives in this chapter. She called him that in one of her reviews. I had to use it, too. Any mistakes made are my own. As always, the LO:CI characters don't belong to me; I'm just borrowing them for a little while. So, no suing. Please read, review and enjoy :o)**

**

* * *

**

**Tuesday, August 15  
****Courthouse Parking Garage, 8:25 a.m.**

"Well, that was a show stopper," Alex said as she buckled up and started the SUV. Bobby nodded as he buckled up. "I'd put that in the

top ten of unusual courtroom proceedings," he said. They were referring to the case of the art smuggler that they were going to testify

against this morning. When Judge Harold Carlson entered the courtroom, the defendant, Isaac Jameson, jumped up and declared his

undying love for the judge. The twist? Judge Carlson declared his undying love for the defendant back. Needless to say, pandemonium

broke out in the courtroom. Once everything had settled down, they called Captain Ross to let him know they were coming in. "I had

always heard rumors that Judge Carlson was gay," Alex said as she pulled into traffic, "I guess this definitely confirms those rumors."

* * *

Alex merged into the morning traffic without too much trouble. She briefly glanced at Bobby, who had opened his binder to pull out some 

pictures. "What are you looking at?" she asked. "These are pictures of the brand on DeMarco's hand," he replied. "I'm trying to see if the

maker left a signature of some kind." "Well, what do you see?" After a few minutes of looking through the pictures, Bobby shook his

head. "Nothing is jumping out at me. I can say that this was a homemade branding stamp. I don't think you'd be able to order this

anywhere." "So, what do you think? DeMarco got too close to somebody's turf?" "If he had got on somebody's turf, why not take the

drugs that were in the back of his Explorer? And why not dump him somewhere in public where his buddies would get the message? And

then there's the 2nd cell phone. Why take it? Why not take the valuable stuff?" Alex shrugged. "Maybe they took the 2nd cell phone

because they wanted his contacts." "Maybe. But if DeMarco was a smart man, he'd know his contacts' numbers by heart, not have them

stored in the cell phone." "There's too many questions and not enough answers. Let's wait to see what we get when we talk to his ex-

girlfriend and employer."

* * *

"How did dinner with your folks go last night?" Bobby asked. "It went well. Shane and Jill were there, too. You'll be happy to know I 

told Mom that you'll show up for your birthday party on Sunday." Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed. "Of course I'm going to show up for

my own party. You had doubts?" "No, not really. Just wondered how well you handle a right hook." Bobby snorted. "I'm thinking about

getting your mom a thank you gift. Any ideas on what she might like?" he asked. Alex sighed, then shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a nice

pin or bangle bracelet." He nodded as he took in this information. "I saw a nice bangle bracelet set in the window of Rossi's Jewelry Shop

the other day." He glanced at the dashboard clock. "They'll be open in 5 minutes. You can drop me off there before going back to the

squad room. I'll walk back." Alex nodded and said, "Okay." She took a deep breath and said, "I told them that some of your friends

would be coming to the party." Bobby gave her a sideways glance. "Oh? Did you mention names?" "Yeah." "Was Alannah's name one of

them?" "Yeah." "Oh," Bobby said softly. "I may have given them the impression that you two were dating." "Alex, what did you tell your

family about me and Alannah?" "I told them that she was someone you had been seeing off and on for a while."

* * *

Bobby leaned his head against the headrest. "Oh God," was all he muttered. "Well, it was either tell them that or tell them she was your 

fuck buddy. I KNOW you didn't want them to know that." Alex said. He sighed heavily. "Is there anything else I need to know?" Alex

cleared her throat and said, "As a matter of fact, the almost crisis of Alannah and Angel meeting each other has been averted." Bobby

knitted his brow. "What do you mean?" "Mom said she was going to call Janelle's mom to ask her to make your birthday cake and invite

her and the family to the party. That would have meant Angel would have been coming with them. Mom called Loretta after dinner.

Loretta told her that she couldn't make the cake or come to the party due to prior family commitments." Bobby grunted and said, "The

almost crisis may become an actual crisis then." "What are you talking about?" "I invited Angel to the party." "You did what!?" Bobby

lifted his head off of the headrest and turned to Alex and said a little loudly, "I said I invited Angel to the party."

* * *

Alex rolled her eyes. "Why would you do that? You want some drama at this party?" "No, I…I don't want any drama. I invited Angel 

because it was the right thing to do," Bobby answered, slightly annoyed. "Besides, she probably won't come if Alannah's there." Alex

was quiet for a couple of minutes, thinking about what Bobby just said and the meaning behind it. She finally asked, "Did you tell Angel

about Alannah?" A quiet "yeah" is all Bobby said before turning to look out of the window. Alex let out a heavy sigh. Mr. Honest had

struck again. She was tempted to snap at him and ask why in the world would he tell Angel about Alannah, but she decided to let it slide

for the time being. Alex knew without having to ask that Bobby was feeling conflicted because he didn't want to be anything like his

abusive womanizing father. If there was one thing Bobby always strived to do in his relationships with women, it was that he would treat

them with the utmost respect and honesty.

* * *

Alex and Bobby hadn't said anything else to each other when they pulled up in front of the store. Bobby turned to Alex and quietly said, 

"Thanks for….for understanding." She smiled. "You're welcome." He got out of the car, placing his binder on the seat. "Take this in for

me?" Alex nodded. He closed the door and walked towards the building. Alex sat there for a couple of minutes, shaking her head in

amazement at the walking mystery that was her partner and best friend.

**

* * *

**

**Tuesday, August 15  
Rossi's Jewelry Shop, 8:32 a.m.**

A bell made a tinkling noise as Bobby opened the door to Rossi's Jewelry Shop. A stocky older olive skinned man with salt and pepper

hair came out from the back at the sound of the bell. "Detective Goren! Welcome!" he said with a slight accent. "Hey, Mr. Rossi, how are

you?" Bobby said as he shook the man's hand. "I'm doing well. How are you?" "I'm good." Mr. Rossi stepped away from Bobby and

headed towards the curtain that led to the back of the store. He pushed it aside and said, "Emma, Detective Bobby is here." A woman

with the same olive skin tone stepped from behind the curtain. She had black hair with a white streak in the front pulled into a bun. Her

eyes crinkled as she smiled at Bobby. "Detective Bobby!" she exclaimed as she walked over to Bobby to give him a hug. He leaned

down a little so that Mrs. Rossi could kiss him on both cheeks. "How are you?" she asked as she stepped to look up at him. "I'm doing

good, Mrs. Rossi. How are you?" She shrugged. "My knee still hurts a little from the surgery. Other than that, I have no complaints.

How's your mama?" "She's good."

* * *

Bobby had met Carlo and Emma Rossi on an elevator at Carmel Ridge 4 years ago. They were heading to the same floor. They were 

going to visit a niece of theirs who was Bobby's age at the time. She was a schizophrenic as well. Bobby kept running into them every

time at the same time he was going to visit his mother. One day Mrs. Rossi asked Bobby to have dinner with them after visiting hours

were over. He gladly accepted. After that, they started having dinner together after their respective visits. When Logan and Barek had

caught that case of the mother and son thieves who were robbing mom and pop jewelry stores, Bobby had been afraid they would

become the next set of victims. His fears were calmed however, when they called him from their vacation timeshare in Florida. Some

relatives of theirs had called them to tell them what was going on and to check on them. Bobby really liked this older couple. He imagined

sometimes that this is what his parents would have been like if they hadn't been so fucked up.

* * *

"What can we help you with today, Detective?" Mr. Rossi asked. "I'm looking to get a couple of thank you gifts for my partner and her 

mother," Bobby replied. He walked over to the window display and pulled out the bangle bracelet trio set. "I'd like to get this," he said as

he handed it to Mr. Rossi. "Very good," Mr. Rossi said. He went back behind the counter to ring up the purchase. He handed it to his

wife for her to gift wrap. "May I ask what you are thanking them for?" Mrs. Rossi said. "For throwing a birthday party for me on this

upcoming Sunday," he replied sheepishly. Her smile got bigger as she said, "Happy early birthday, Bobby!" Mr. Rossi came from behind

the counter and shook his hand. "Happy birthday!" Bobby blushed slightly at all this fuss over his birthday. "Thank you both," he said. Mr.

Rossi said, "You'll have to come over to the house next week for dinner to celebrate." "You don't have to do that," Bobby protested.

Mr. Rossi shook a finger at him. "Oh, no! We insist. Besides, you're like a son to us." Bobby ran his fingers through his hair and smiled.

"Okay." Mr. Rossi clapped him on the shoulder. "Look around to see what else catches your eye."

* * *

Bobby walked over to the women's watch case. He looked up and down each row carefully before seeing the perfect watch for Alex. 

"I'd like to get this one," he said. Mr. Rossi came over, unlocked the case and pulled out the watch Bobby was pointing to. It was a

medium size silver watch with a stretch wristband, blue crystal face and silver numbers. Mrs. Rossi came over and took the watch from

Mr. Rossi. She headed back to her gift wrapping station. "Anything else, Detective?" Mr. Rossi asked. Bobby shook his head. "That's

it." "Alright then. Let me ring up everything." Bobby idly looked through the rest of the jewelry cases while he waited. When he got to the

women's ring case, he saw a very pretty ring. It was a simple gold band, about the same size as a man's wedding ring. It had the word

"LOVE" engraved on it in block letters. "Mr. Rossi, what size is this ring?"

* * *

Mr. Rossi went over to the case Bobby was standing at. "Which one, Bobby?" Bobby pointed and said, "The gold band with "love" on 

it." Mr. Rossi unlocked the case and took the ring out. "It's a size 7," he said after reading the tag attached to it. He put the ring in

Bobby's hand. Bobby picked the ring up with two fingers to examine it. He started wondering how Angel would react if he gave it to her.

"I'm guessing that you're going to give that to the same young lady you bought the necklace for," Mr. Rossi said with a chuckle. Bobby

looked from the ring at Mr. Rossi in surprise. "How…how did you know?" "You had the exact same look on your face 2 years ago when

you decided to buy the necklace." Bobby's ears turned red. "I'm that transparent, huh?" he asked. Mr. Rossi shook his head. "Nah. I

know the beginnings of amore when I see it." Bobby shook his head and laughed. "You getting the ring?" Bobby looked at the ring

thoughtfully and sighed. "Yeah. I think I will." Mr. Rossi smiled at him as he took the ring from Bobby and headed towards Mrs. Rossi.

Bobby mentally chided himself as he watched Mrs. Rossi begin to wrap the ring. _"What if Angel doesn't want anything to do with _

_me?" _he thought_. "What do I do to win her heart?" _Bobby looked up at the ceiling, then cast his eyes down to the floor. He whispered

to himself, "Help me."

* * *

**Tuesday, August 15  
****Major Case Squad Room, 9:00 a.m.**

Alex was reading a file when Bobby walked into the squad room. She looked up at him and asked, "Get what you were looking for?"

"Yep. I did," he replied, holding up the dark blue bag before putting it in his bottom desk drawer. Alex could have sworn she saw the

outlines of 3 boxes in the bag. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. "Has Ross been looking for me?" "No, he hasn't," she

answered. "He went to a meeting as soon as I walked in." "What are you reading?" "DeMarco Anderson's financial records. Man, this

guy was an upstanding citizen on paper at least. Look at this." Alex handed the file to Bobby. He pursed his lips as he read the file. "I see

he's got some CDs, real estate investments, savings account set up for his daughter. Hell, he even paid his taxes on time." He handed the

file back to Alex and picked up another one to start reading. "What's that?" Alex asked. "DeMarco's juvie arrest record from New

Jersey. It looks like getting busted for possession was the only trouble he got into." Alex handed Bobby another folder. "Well then his

brother must have been taking up the slack for the both of them. Look at his record." Bobby let out a low whistle. "Drug possession and

disorderly conduct arrests as long as my arm," he said. "Yeah. I didn't think records could get that long." Bobby rolled his eyes at Alex's

smart ass comment.

* * *

"Hey, Detectives." Alex and Bobby looked up from the files to see Angel standing there. "Hey, Angel. How are you?" Alex asked as she

stood up and walked over to Angel. "I'm fine." Bobby stood up and shook her hand. "Hello, Angelica." Angel smiled and blushed. "I

must be in trouble," she said. "That's the only time anyone ever uses my whole name." Bobby smiled at her before he licked his lips.

"No…no trouble. Yet." Alex and Angel both raised their eyebrows at the sexual innuendo behind his comment. "_Lord, please do not let _

_him start anything here in front of all these people," _Angel thought as she recovered from that statement _"Damn! My partner is Mr. _

_Smooth Talker,"_ Alex thought. Bobby chuckled to himself at the desired effect his play on words had on Angel.

* * *

Bobby let go of her hand and pulled out a chair for Angel. "Please have a seat," he said to her. Angel shook her head. "I can't stay long. I

came by to give you this." She reached into her pants pocket to pull out the handkerchief Bobby had given to her yesterday. She placed it

in his hand, giving it a light squeeze before letting go. He put it in his jacket pocket. "Thank you." "You're welcome. And, I wanted to give

you these." Angel reached into her vest pocket and took out 2 business cards, handing one to each detective. Alex quickly glanced over

the card. "Martin, Baker and Martin? You moonlighting?" she asked. "No," Angel replied. "I work for them from home." "Oh, okay." "I

wanted you to know where I can be reached today. In case you needed me for something." Alex picked up her notepad and a pen,

handing them to Angel. "Janelle called and left message yesterday saying DeMarco's family is coming into town to stay with his uncle

Todd. Could you write down his name and address." "Sure." Angel scribbled on the notepad and handed it back to Alex. "Anything

else?" she asked, looking Alex, then at Bobby, then back at Alex.

* * *

"Actually, there is something we need to know," Bobby said. Angel and Alex turned their attention towards him. "Alex mentioned that the

lawyer who drew up DeMarco's power of attorney creeped you out. Can you elaborate?" Angel pressed her lips together while looking

at the floor. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the right words to say. Finally she said, "If I could file a sexual

assault report against Mr. Brewster without him actually sexually assaulting me, I would." Alex and Bobby exchanged glances. "Go on,"

Bobby said softly. Angel sighed and sat down. Alex sat in her chair, Bobby sat on the edge of his desk. "DeMarco paid a pilot friend of

my parents to fly me up here for a day to sign the power of attorney, with Janelle and Drew as witnesses. I don't know how or why

DeMarco picked this man as his lawyer. When DeMarco and I met him at his office, his whole demeanor towards me changed. He

become…lecherous for lack of a better word." "How so?" Alex asked. "I could almost see the sexual positions he was putting me in.

DeMarco made a point of making sure Mr. Brewster and I were never alone together. When I was getting ready to leave, to head back

to the airport, he offered to take me there. He tried to get close to me, but DeMarco stepped in between us."

* * *

"When DeMarco and I left Mr. Brewster's office, we went and had lunch at Ming's. Ten minutes later, Mr. Brewster showed up with his

secretary. They were seated next to us. DeMarco drove to JFK after we left Ming's. I came into New York on private airstrip near Long

Island somewhere on a private plane. Anyway, when we walked into JFK, DeMarco spotted Brewster. DeMarco gave me money to get

a cab to my true destination . He walked up to Brewster to distract him and give me a chance to get the hell outta Dodge." "Does Mr.

Brewster know you're living here now?" Bobby asked. Angel shook her head. She looked up at Bobby with a question on her lips.

"We're not going to tell him," he answered. Angel visibly relaxed. "Do you think Mr. Brewster could be one of DeMarco's drug

associates?" Alex asked. Angel thought for a minute. "If I were a betting person, I'd put money on it," she replied. Alex nodded, jotting

something down in her notebook. "I can't think of anything else right now. Can you?" she asked Bobby. He shook his head. Angel stood

up, taking her keys out of her pants pocket. Alex stood up while Bobby slid off his desk. Angel shook their hands and said, "Let me

know if y'all need anything else." Alex said, "We will. Thanks for stopping by." "May I walk you to your car?" Bobby asked. Angel

smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Sure," she said as she headed towards the elevator. "I'll be right back," Bobby said

absently to Alex as he walked off.

* * *

As soon as Bobby appeared by her side, Angel pressed the down button for the elevator. Bobby stepped close to her and inhaled her

scent. She smelled like Ylang Rose. Damn this woman for driving him crazy with that scent. Bobby took Angel by the arm and said,

"Follow me," leading her towards to the. Angel had a confused look on her face as he held the door open for her. She put her keys back

in her pocket and stepped through the door. She leaned against the wall nearest the door, hands behind her back. She watched Bobby as

he closed the door behind him. Angel nervously bit her bottom lip as he invaded her personal space by standing so close to her, she could

feel the slight erection he had. Angel arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, my! It seems someone is awake," she said seductively.

* * *

Bobby leaned down and put his mouth near Angel's ear. In a low voice, he said, "You smell nice." Angel let out a small gasp before she

pressed her lips together. Angel cursed at herself for reacting like that. But she enjoyed it at the same time. Bobby was the only man she

knew who could get his voice low enough to cause a mini orgasm to course through her body. "Thank you," she managed to say. Bobby

hooked his index finger over the top button of Angel's vest, slightly pulling her away from the wall. Bobby could feel the warmth of her

breath against his ear, which just turned him on even more. He could practically feel her heart racing. "What did you dream about last

night, Angel?" he asked huskily. Angel took a couple of deep breaths before saying, "Nothing."

* * *

"No, you dreamt about something. You dreamt about me, didn't you? You dreamt about all the special places I would put my mouth and

tongue on your body. Am I right?" Angel's mind starting racing with all sorts of erotic images Bobby had just planted in her head. She

started panting heavily, trying to think of a good answer. She hooked her finger over the top of his pants, running her thumb up and down

the zipper. "Depends," she replied, "on whether you dreamt about all the special places I would touch on your body." Bobby pulled back

to look at Angel. He smiled at the devilish grin she had. Before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave

him the most deep and passionate kiss he had experienced in a long time. He slid his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him.

When they came up for air, Bobby laid his forehead on hers. "Is that what you wanted?" Angel asked. Bobby just nodded. She smiled as

she kissed his nose and pushed him arm's length away. "Alex is probably wondering what's taking you so long." "Probably, but who

cares?" he said. He stepped towards Angel to pull her into his arms again, but she put a hand in the middle of his chest to stop him.

"Robert, you HAVE to do some work today," she said with a smile. "Walk me to my car, please." With that, she opened the door and

stepped through, heading towards the elevator. Bobby stood there for a minute, running his fingers through his hair and collecting his

thoughts. "Fuck it," he said in a declarative voice. "What the hell have I got to lose?" Right then and there, he decided he would do

whatever it takes to get that wonderful woman to become his Angel.

* * *

Bobby opened the driver's side door of the black Saturn Vue for Angel. She slid behind the wheel with ease and closed the door. She

started the engine and rolled the window down. Bobby leaned in, placing his arms on the roof. Bobby and Angel looked at each in

silence. Bobby was thinking how clear her eyes were when he saw it: a small cloud of insecurity and fear. He made a face. "What are you

thinking?" he asked. Angel quickly looked away, reaching for the glove compartment. She knew he had seen what she was thinking: her

fear of getting her heart broken because Bobby didn't want to be with her. Angel opened the door, pulled out a napkin and closed it. She

shook her head and replied, "Nothing," as she wiped her lipstick off of Bobby's mouth. He was going to push her to tell him what was

going on in her head, but he decided not to. _"There's a time and place for everything,"_ he thought.

* * *

Angel placed the used napkin in the small trash bag that was hanging from the back of the passenger seat. She turned to Bobby and

smiled. "I better get going. I need to be at the office before our client gets there." "Yeah, I better get back to my desk before Alex puts

out an APB for me." Angel chuckled. Bobby stepped away from the car and waved at her. "Be…be careful." "I will. See ya later." She

slipped on a pair of dark shades and waved at him before rolling the window up. Bobby watched as she backed up and then went

forward. Angel waved again as she drove away. Bobby raised his hand, then lowered. As he walked back into the building and headed

towards the elevator, he relived in his mind what happened in the stairwell and smiled as he got on the elevator. Then he remembered

small look of insecurity and fear that he had seen in her eyes. He mentally kicked himself for not saying anything to calm her fear. "I do

want you, Angel," he said aloud to himself as the elevator doors closed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's notes: This chapter is rated M for the harsh language. There will be more Bobby and Angel action in the next chapter. Right now, I need Alex and Bobby doing what they do best. I don't own any of the LO:CI characters, just the ones that come out of my warped brain. LOL. Read, review and enjoy:o)**

**

* * *

**

**Tuesday, August 15  
Residence of Sasha Cruz, 10:00 a.m  
**

"Go ahead. Say something," Bobby said to Alex as they got out of the SUV and walked up the path to Sasha Cruz's home. Alex just

shook her head, a sly smirk on her lips. "I have nothing to say." When Bobby had returned to his desk after walking Angel to her car,

Alex had looked at him and then started grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He knew what she thinking, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"You know you want to say something." Alex flashed him another Cheshire Cat-like smile before ringing the doorbell. A few seconds

later, the door opened slightly. A slender girl with mocha colored skin, curly sandy brown hair pulled into 2 long pigtails and big brown

eyes appeared in the doorway. She was wearing red shorts and a white t-shirt with a picture of the Puerto Rican flag on it. Bobby and

Alex both knew she had to be DeMarco's daughter just by looking at her eyes. She looked expectantly at them. Alex pulled her

badge out of her jacket pocket and said, "Hi. I'm Detective Eames. This is my partner, Detective Goren." Bobby showed her his

badge, too. "Are you Celena?" Alex asked. "Yes, ma'am," the girl replied softly. "May we speak to your Mom?" Celena looked at

their badges a little longer before asking, "Are you here about my Daddy?" "Yes, we are," Bobby answered with a smile. "Are you

going to catch the people who killed him?" "We'll do our best to catch them. I promise." She flashed them both a big smile, revealing a

set of deep dimples.

* * *

Celena opened the door wider and stepped aside to let them in. Bobby and Alex waited as she closed and locked the door. She made 

a gesture for them to follow her. "Mama, the police are here," Celena said as she and the detectives walked into the kitchen. Two

women were seated around a small table talking; one with the same skin coloring as Celena, the other with dark skin and dreadlocks.

They both looked up and smiled at Alex and Bobby. The dark skinned woman stood up and said, "We better go get Asia before she

and her cousin Natasha get on each other nerves and try to kill each other." Sasha chuckled and said, "I know that's right, Chantal.

I've seen them fight like cats and dogs." They hugged each other and then let go. Celena stepped towards Sasha, smiling up at her.

Sasha put her hands on Celena's shoulders and smiled back at her. "You be good, Mamacita. You listen to and do whatever Chantal

says, okay?" "Yes, Mama." "That's a good girl," she said as she kissed her daughter's forehead. Celena turned and took Chantal's

hand. They both said goodbye to Alex and Bobby as they walked out of the kitchen and out the front door.

* * *

"I'm Sasha Cruz," she said as she held out her hand to Alex. "I'm Detective Alex Eames," Alex replied as she shook her hand, "This is 

my partner, Detective Robert Goren." Sasha shook Bobby's hand, then pointed to some chairs. "Please have a seat." Alex and Bobby

sat down while she went to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of tea and placed it on the table. Then she reached in the cupboard

next to the fridge, pulled out 3 glasses and placed them on the table before sitting down. "We're very sorry for your loss, Ms. Cruz,"

Alex said as Sasha started pouring the tea into the glasses. "Thank you," she replied, "Please call me Sasha. It's just so hard to believe

DeMarco's dead." She placed a glass in front of each detective. Bobby was the first one to take a drink. "This is very good. It's

lemonade and tea mixed together, isn't it?" Sasha nodded. "DeMarco's favorite thing to drink in the summertime. Something his

paternal grandmama made for him when he and his family went to visit her. " Alex said, "It's delicious." Sasha gave them a small smile.

"I'd like to thank you both for letting Drew and the crew come and tell Celena and me about her daddy. It was easier for both of us, I

think, to get the news from them." "You're welcome," Bobby said. "Celena spelled with a 'C' is very unusual. Is she named after

someone?" "DeMarco came up with the spelling. His mother's name was Selena. My mom's name is Celeste. He wanted to combine

their names to honor them."

* * *

Alex asked, "When was the last time you saw DeMarco, Sasha?" "He came by here Sunday after he got out of church. A little bit 

after 1 p.m. He called to make sure we were at home. Celena and I had just got back from visiting my great uncle Tomas with my

dad." "How was his mood when you saw him?" "He was fine, happy. He was making jokes as usual, hugging and kissing on Celena."

"Was it normal for DeMarco to call and come by like that?" "Oh, yeah! Me and Celena talked to him practically everyday. He came

by here at least once a week for dinner if he didn't have to work a security detail or something like that." "How about in the past few

weeks? Did he seem bothered or upset by anything?" Sasha shook her head. "DeMarco seemed to be fine to me. If something was

troubling him, he would have told me." "You and DeMarco were…were close?" Bobby asked. "DeMarco and I could always talk to

each other about anything. He was one of my best friends and I loved him." She sniffed as she wiped away a tear with a paper napkin

that had been laying on the table. "You were still…intimate with him?" "Nah. Dee and I hadn't had sex since Celena was 5."

* * *

Bobby and Alex looked at each other. Alex nodded her head faintly, giving him the signal to continue with his questions. "When we 

examined the crime scene, we found a…a substantial amount of drugs hidden in DeMarco's Explorer," Bobby stated. "Were you

aware that he was a..." "A drug dealer?" Sasha said, finishing Bobby's sentence. She sighed as she nodded. "That was the main

reason I didn't marry his stupid ass. I had already been there, done that." "Really? How so?" Sasha sighed heavily again. "When I was

15, I was going with this 17 year old dude named Chiggy. He was in a gang and a major drug dealer. I didn't care though. I was in

love with him and the money. I used to go anywhere and everywhere with him. On my 16th birthday, I found out I was 3 months

pregnant. My folks were pissed off, but we didn't care. Chiggy and me were happy. Shoot, we had started looking for a place to live.

Anyway, about a month later, I was riding with Chiggy and some of his homeboys up in this rough neighborhood in the Bronx. I think

we were on enemy turf because the next thing I know we're being shot at from all sides. Chiggy got hit in the neck; I got hit in the side

of my stomach. I lost the baby."

* * *

"Did you ever go with DeMarco on any of his drug deals?" Alex asked. Sasha replied, "No, I didn't. When DeMarco told me he was 

a drug dealer, I almost dumped him but instead I told him not to tell me anything. I didn't want to get caught up like I had when I was

younger. When we found out I was pregnant, he wanted to get married. I told him I wouldn't marry him unless he gave up his hustle

and got a real job. As you can guess, the hustle won out." "We were told that DeMarco would disappear for a while when he was

dealing. Do you have any idea where he may have gone or who was with him?" Sasha shook her head. "DeMarco did a pretty good

job of keeping his real life and his secret life separate. The only time I ever knew he was leaving to hustle is when he called me from a

pay phone and say, 'I'll be back later.'" Bobby stroked his chin a couple of times. He was impressed by how DeMarco managed to

keep those who loved him out of harm's way. He asked, "Who else knew DeMarco dealt drugs?" "There was me, Janelle, Drew,

Garvin, Angel and Jayson. We knew about the dealing, but weren't involved in it. If you're looking for somebody who knew and was

probably involved in the dealing, you might want to talk to the Wonder Twins."

* * *

Alex looked up from her notepad with a puzzled look on her face. " 'The Wonder Twins?'" she asked. Sasha excused herself and got 

up from the table and went into the living room. When she came back, she had a packet of pictures in her hand. She sat back down

and started shuffling through them. She pulled out the picture she was looking for and showed it to Alex and Bobby. "This is from

Celena's 11th birthday last May," she said. It was a picture of DeMarco standing outside at someone's home with his arm around a

woman with micro braids in her hair. Standing next them was another man and woman in the same pose. Sasha pointed to the people

in the photo. "The woman DeMarco is hugging is his baby sister Lynnette. These folks right here are his younger brother and sister,

Eric James and Eden Jane, a.k.a. The Wonder Twins." Bobby took the picture from her and studied the twins more closely. They

were both light skinned with black almond shaped eyes. Eric had his hair cut close like DeMarco in the picture. Eden was sporting

very short hair with blonde highlights. "Why are they called The Wonder Twins?" he asked. Sasha snorted. "When you get to know

them, you wonder how can they be so mean and low down."

* * *

Bobby raised an eyebrow. "How so?" "DeMarco used to tell me these stories about his childhood and stuff. DeMarco's parents died 

when he was 10. After their parents were killed by a drunk driver, their aunt and uncle adopted them. He told me when they moved up

to New Jersey, Eric and Eden just went buck wild. They would start trouble, steal, lie and pick fights. Eden would almost always be

the leader. Eric would be following right behind her. Eden used to pick on Lynnette so bad that when Lynnette turned 18 and

graduated from high school, she moved away to Saint Louis with her best friend to go to community college and get away from Queen

Bitch as Eden loves to refer to herself. Eden's very selfish and possessive, especially when it came to her brothers. Whenever

DeMarco and Eric had something, she would always try to take it or destroy it if they wouldn't let her have it. Heaven forbid if they

had a girlfriend. Eden would damn near break her neck trying to make them break up. No other woman would come before her."

* * *

"Can you give us any specific examples of things Eden and Eric did?" Alex asked. "When I was pregnant with Celena, I went with 

DeMarco to visit his family for Christmas. I was coming down the stairs, they were coming up. They both made a point of bumping

into me really hard. I honestly think they were trying to make me fall." Alex let out a low whistle. "Man, that is mean." "That's not the

meanest thing they've done," Sasha said softly. "Janelle and Jayson had a good friend named Teresa Jean Campbell, T.J., that lived

next door to them when they were growing up. T.J. was living with a cousin of her dad's because her dad lost custody of her when he

was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of her 9 year old brother, Eugene. Their step mom used to beat Eugene and T. J.

badly. Their dad did nothing to stop her. She was beating on T. J. in the kitchen with an extension cord when Eugene jumped in and

tried to stop her. Well, the Evil Stepmother picked up a cast iron skillet and hit him in the head with it. She hit him so hard that his head

bounced off a counter before he hit the floor. He died before help could get there. When they had her trial, it took the jury less than 5

minutes to find her guilty."

* * *

Sasha dabbed at her eyes. "Anyway," she sniffed, "the day T.J. died at the hospital, DeMarco and I met up with Angel, Drew, Jayson, 

Janelle, and their parents at the hospital. The cousin had already passed away 3 years prior, so Janelle and them were her family. We

were standing out in the waiting area, waiting on Pastor Overton to show up. Eric and Eden showed up out of nowhere. They paid

their respects to Eddie Lee and Loretta, then hung out away from the rest of us in a corner. I'd say about 10 minutes later, you could

hear this man and woman saying, "Where's Teresa Jean? Where's my baby girl?" It was T. J.'s daddy and step mom. Oh my God! I

thought all hell was going to break loose between Janelle's parents and T.J.'s parents. I looked over at the twins and saw them

laughing and pointing. DeMarco saw them, too. His face was so red. He grabbed Drew by the arm and told him to grab Eric while he

grabbed Eden. I followed them to the men's restroom. DeMarco had Eden pinned up against the wall with his forearm on her throat.

Drew had Eric in a chokehold. DeMarco told Eden 'This is the most cruel and evil thing you two bitches have ever done. I want you

to go back home and not come back here for 2 months.' He let her go, Drew let Eric go. Eden kept saying 'I'm sorry' and 'Let us

stay' over and over again. DeMarco turned around and backhanded her so hard, it echoed in there. He said, 'Make it 4 months' and

walked out of the restroom."

* * *

Alex and Bobby sat there in silence for a few minutes, trying to gather their thoughts as they tried to decide what to ask next. Finally, 

Bobby spoke up. "Was DeMarco the only one that seemed to be able to handle the twins?" "Yeah, as a matter of fact, he was. Their

aunt and uncle could too, but they listened more to Dee than them." "Interesting. May we borrow this picture?" "Sure. You can have it

if you want. I've got another copy." "Thank you." "Do you have any idea what DeMarco did with his drug money?" Alex asked.

Sasha thought for a moment. "He probably gave some to Eric and Eden because they are or were always looking for a handout. I

know he gave some to Lynnette to help take care of their uncle Todd." "Is Uncle Todd sick?" "Uncle Todd has been messed up his

whole life. You name the drug, he has smoked it, popped it or injected it. The house he's living in actually belonged to his parents and

he almost lost it because he didn't pay the property taxes on it. DeMarco paid all those back taxes. Then he gave money to Lynnette

for her to set up an account to make sure the bills are paid and for someone to take care of Todd. His youngest daughter, her husband

and 3 kids live there. She sends them something once a month to help out with taking care of him."

* * *

Alex closed her notepad and placed it in her pocket. "I think that's all the questions we have for now, Sasha," she said. "We'll contact 

you again if we need some more information." Alex and Sasha started to get up when Bobby said, "I have one more thing before we

leave." He unzipped his binder and pulled out one of the photos of the brand that was on the back of DeMarco's hand. He slid it

across the table to Sasha and asked, "Have you ever seen this type of branding before?" She studied the picture for a minute before

she gave it back to him. "When I was with Chiggy, we used to hang out with this dude named Hector Ruiz who used to make branding

stamps the size of a car cigarette lighter." "Do you know where we can find him?" Sasha shook her head and said, "Sorry, I don't."

"We were told that DeMarco carried 2 cell phones. Do you happen to know the numbers to both phones?" "I just know the number

to one of the phones." Alex gave Sasha her notepad and pen for her to write the number down. Bobby placed the branding picture

back into his binder. "That's all right. Thank you for your time and cooperation."

* * *

Sasha led the detectives out the front door and onto the porch. "We'll be in touch if anything else happens with the case," Alex said. 

Sasha gave her a small smile. "Thank you." As Alex and Bobby started walking down the path towards the SUV, she said,

"Detectives, please wait." They looked at each other then at Sasha as she walked up to them. "Janelle told me that despite what

people think of NYPD, you two are the best and that you would at least make a serious effort to find out who killed DeMarco instead

of pretending to make an effort. I know DeMarco seems like a very bad person to you, but he was loved in spite of his flaws and

faults. I just want to thank you for giving me some hope that my daughter and I will get some closure in dealing with his death." Sasha

turned and walked back into her home, closing the door behind her. Bobby put on his shades; Alex put on hers. "We gotta keep this

case and solve it, you know," he said. "Hell, yeah," she said as she opened the driver's side door and got in.

**

* * *

****Tusday August 15  
Inside of SUV, 3:16 p.m.**

Alex and Bobby were on their way to Todd Miller's, a.k.a. Uncle Todd, home. They had talked to Jayson Hamilton, owner of J

Security, brother of Janelle Spencer and employer of the late DeMarco Anderson. They had asked him the same questions they had

asked of Sasha Cruz. He pretty much told them what they've been hearing so far: that those closest to DeMarco knew he was a drug

dealer, he kept his family and close friends out of his drug business and he had the number to one of the cell phones. Jayson did give

them a key and the code to the security alarm at DeMarco's house. He had his receptionist call ahead and tell Junior and Junebug that

the police were coming by and that they should be on their best behavior. Bobby asked him why did they need to be told to behave.

Jayson replied, "No offense, Detective Goren, but somebody your size who is a police officer is enough to provoke them into picking

a fight with you. They like testing their boundaries."

* * *

The search of DeMarco's home didn't yield any new clues, either. They had been expecting to drive up to some two story glittering 

mansion with 5 cars out front. Instead, the house looked like any normal looking house you would find in the suburbs. Nothing flashy

or glittery about it. It was a one level ranch style home with a 2 car garage. Bobby saw why Jayson told Junior and Junebug to behave.

As soon as the detectives had pulled up and got out of the SUV, they had come out the door and stood on the porch, arms folded

across their chests, scowling. When Bobby had stepped onto the porch, they took a step towards him, staring him in the eye. They

were both 6 foot 5 and packing more muscles than Bobby. Alex put her hand on her gun, ready for trouble. She relaxed as Junior and

Junebug relaxed and stepped aside to let them in the house. Inside of the garage was a 1981 Cadillac El Dorado. It had purple paint

that would glitter in the sunlight and white leather interior. "Sweet," Bobby said as he sat down behind the wheel. Alex practically had

to drag him out of the car to get him to continue the search. Alex asked the 2 hulking bodyguards why were they watching an empty

house. Junior answered in a booming, bass voice "Because the Wonder Twins will try to break in and steal any- and everything that

ain't bolted down."

* * *

"You've been unusually quiet," Bobby commented. "Anything wrong?" Alex sighed. "I'm okay. It's just…it's just I never knew about 

T. J.'s home life until now. It's just a shock to hear." "Had you ever met T.J.?" "Yeah, she came over with Jayson and Janelle a few

times during the summer when we were growing up." Alex shook her head. "I used to always wonder why they were so protective of

her. And why my parents and Eddie Lee and Loretta would always talk in a hushed tone when they brought her over." "I think your

parents were just trying to protect you guys from the horrors of reality." "Yeah, I know. But, it's just so hard to fathom anyone beating

their child to death sometimes." _"You never met my father," _Bobby thought as he looked out the window. Instead, he said, "That

must have been the chaos Angel mentioned to me." "Huh? What do you mean?" "The day T.J. had died, Angel was waiting for me on

my doorstep when I came home from work. She wanted to spend the night to get away from the chaos before it began." "Oh." Bobby

shrugged. "It's strange that…that someone would seek solace and peace with someone whose life has been nothing but chaos and

disorder." "Angel knows a strong calming center when she sees it." Bobby glanced over at Alex and smiled.

* * *

"It's so hard to believe one of my babies is dead," Mary Frances Anderson said through her tears. "Who would hurt my baby? 

DeMarco didn't bother nobody!" Bobby and Alex were in a back bedroom with her and her husband Albert at the Miller residence.

She was sitting on the bed, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. Albert was sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders

doing his best to console her. "It'll be aight, baby. Everything will be okay." he said softly. Alex was sitting in a folding chair; Bobby

was leaning on the dresser. They looked on with sympathy as Mary and Albert were trying to deal with the death of their child. Albert

looked up at them. "Are you sure there were drugs in his car?" he asked. "I'm afraid so, Mr. Anderson," Bobby replied. Albert shook

his gray head. "That boy promised me and his mama 7 years ago he would stop hustling. 'I'll stop, Daddy Al, I promise,' he said. Me

and Mary always worried about him." "Maybe the drugs were planted," Mary said to her husband. Albert shook his head again and

hugged his wife. "Naw, baby. DeMarco got that defiant streak honestly from my brother. He was still dealing."

* * *

"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, can you tell us the last time you spoke with DeMarco?" Bobby asked. "He came home on August 4th," 

Mrs. Anderson replied. "He had Celena with him. They spent the weekend with us." "Do you know why he came home?" "We hadn't

seen him or Celena since her birthday in May. He figured since he had her for the weekend, he'd bring her to visit us." "How was

DeMarco's mood when he was you? Did he seem…troubled or bothered by anything?" She shook her head. "Nothing seemed wrong

with him. He was usual normal self."

* * *

A knock on the door followed by a female voice asking, "Mama Mary, can I come in?" interrupted Bobby's questioning. "Come on 

in, Lynnette," Mary said. The door opened and in stepped Lynnette. Alex and Bobby recognized her from the picture Sasha gave

them. She looked the same as the picture except for 2 things: she had auburn micro braids and her belly slightly bulged. Alex guessed

she was about 3 or 4 months pregnant. Lynnette stopped short when she saw the detectives. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you

company," she said. Mary got up and hugged her. "It's okay. These are Detectives Goren and Eames. They're investigating your

brother's murder." "Nice to meet you," Lynnette said as she nodded at them. Mary asked Lynnette, "Whatcha need, sweetie?" "Baby

Girl just called to say that Brother's body has been released from the morgue and is on the way to the funeral home. Me and David are

gonna go check into the hotel before we go over there." Mary sighed heavily. "Y'all don't have to stay in a hotel. You can stay here,

you know."

* * *

Lynnette looked at her adoptive mother before rolling her eyes. "Oh, please. Queen Bitch has already started to get on my flipping 

nerves. There are 3 things keeping me from whopping her ass: my brother's dead, I'm pregnant and the police are here. Take away

items 2 and 3 and I'd smack her head off!" Mary threw up her hands and shook her head. "Eric and Eden are here?" Alex asked.

Lynnette nodded. Alex was about to ask where they were when a loud engine revved up. "THAT belongs to the pimped out candy

apple red Mitsubishi Lancer parked out front. It belongs to the Queen herself." Sensing they weren't going to get anything new out of

the Andersons, Alex stood as Bobby pulled out one of his business cards and handed it to Mrs. Anderson. "We'll leave you and your

family to get ready to go to the funeral home. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions." She took the card and said, "Thank

you." Bobby followed Alex out of the bedroom, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Anderson to talk with Lynnette.

* * *

As soon as Bobby and Alex came out of the front door, the Lancer's engine was revved again. "Eden!" Bobby called as she was 

about to get in on the passenger side. She turned around and made a face as the detectives approached her with their badges out. She

leaned against the car door, arms folded across her chest, one leg crossed over the other. "I'm Detective Eames," Alex said. "This is

my partner, Detective Goren. We want to talk to you about your brother DeMarco." Eden looked Alex up and down with a scowl.

She gave Bobby the same treatment. When she looked at his feet, her eyes wandered back up to his crotch. "Well, it must be true

what they say about shoe size and dick size," Eden said as she looked Bobby in the face and licked her lips. Bobby maintained a

neutral look on his face as he mentally made a face and thought, _"Ugh! As if!" _As he was studying Eden's face, he noticed she was

wearing gray contacts. "Hmm. Interesting." "What's interesting?" she asked. "The fact I want take that big thick dick of yours for a

spin?" "No, the fact that you're wearing gray contacts. Are you copying someone?" Eden just shrugged.

* * *

"Eden! Get your ass in the car and quit talking to them punk ass police!" the male driver said. Eden opened the car door and got in. 

Bobby and Alex leaned down to look at the driver. It was Eric. He looked back at them before putting on some shades. He said to

Eden, "I know you ain't gonna try to fuck that white boy. He look like he'll tear your shit up." Eden laughed and said, "Naw. As old

as he as looks, he probably can't keep it up with some Viagra or Cialis." They both laughed louder and harder. Ignoring the snide

comments being made about her partner, Alex said, "We need to talk to both of you about your brother DeMarco. How about you

step out of the car so we can talk?" Eric and Eden looked at each other. Eden turned to Alex and said with a smirk, "I don't fucking

think so." "Well, is there a number we can reach you at?" Eric leaned across Eden and said, "Yeah. 1-800-Eat-A-Dick." He and

Eden laughed as he threw the car in gear and pulled off. Alex and Bobby continued to watch the Lancer as it was drove out of sight.

"Did we just get dissed?" Alex asked sarcastically. Bobby nodded his head. 'Yep. Dissed and dismissed. Did you catch the license

plate?" The license plate read QUNBICH. "Yep. She and her court jester are both living up to the label." Bobby looked at Alex with

a smirk on his face. "I'm going to enjoy having them in our interrogation room." "Oh, yeah. Me, too."


	9. Chapter 9

**Tuesday, August 15  
****Narcotics Squad Room, 3:56 p.m.**

"Do you still have a crush on Antonio?" Bobby asked Alex as they exited off of the elevator and headed towards the Narcotics squad

room. "What?!" Alex exclaimed as she stopped in her tracks and looked at her partner as if he had lost his mind. "I'm...I'm just

curious. That's all." Alex threw up her hands as she shook her head. "You are the last person I would expect to listen to the rumor

mill. NO! I don't have a crush on Antonio. Geez!" Alex walked quickly away from him, still shaking her head and mumbling under her

breath. Bobby practically had to run to catch up with her. As they entered the room, some of the people in there greeted Bobby either

with a polite head nod or a "Hey, Bobby. How you doing?" Bobby acknowledged them with a wave or saying "I'm doing good." Alex

knocked on the door that was marked Lt. Antonio Garcia. "Come in," a male voice said. Bobby followed Alex through the door. Lt.

Garcia was on the phone when the detectives walked in. "Listen, I've got company in my office. I'll call you back later," he said before

hanging up. He stood up with a big smile on his face and extended his hand to Bobby. "I shoulda known that if anybody was going to

take a large amount of drugs off the streets, it would be you." Bobby shrugged. "I got lucky." He and Bobby shook hands and briefly

hugged each other. "Hey, Alex. How are ya?" "I'm doing good, Tony," she answered after giving him a brief hug, too. Antonio waved

to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat." They sat down while he closed the blinds before sitting back down behind his desk.

* * *

Antonio Garcia had worked with Alex her last year and a half in Vice. He worked with Bobby his entire 4 years in Narcotics. When 

he heard that they were going to be partners in Major Case, he called Alex one day and invited her to lunch. At lunch, Alex had shown

him the letter requesting a new partner. Antonio talked to her, telling her that he may be "loco en la cabeza" but he had a method to his

madness, just give him some time and she'll get used to him. She was skeptical, but she trusted his judgment. As she got used to

Bobby's way of solving cases, she felt better and better about having listened to Antonio.

* * *

"Okay. What do I have to do to get you guys to come to Narcotics?" he asked. "Pray for hell to freeze over, for starters," Alex said 

with a smile. Antonio laughed. He looked at Bobby and said, "Well, she's out. How about you?" "What my partner says goes double

for me." Antonio held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, okay. I know when I'm beat. I just want you to know that if you ever

decide to leave those cushy desks in Major Case, you're always welcome here. So, what's up?"

* * *

Bobby opened his binder and pulled out a blown up picture of DeMarco's driver's license and showed it to the lieutenant. "We 

wanted to know if our vic was on your radar. Name's DeMarco Louis Anderson." Antonio looked at the picture closely. "That's his

real name?" he asked. "Yeah, it is. Why?" "Damn. He was good," Antonio said more to himself than to Bobby. "What's up, Tony?"

Alex asked. Tony shook himself a little before answering, "The name we knew him by was Mason Newberry. We couldn't find

anything on him, so we assumed he was new to the game. He showed up on our radar twice about a year ago. How did he die?" "He

was injected with heroine and cocaine." "In the arm and on the back?" Bobby and Alex looked at each other. Alex replied cautiously,

"Yeah. How did you know?" Antonio sat back in his chair, staring in amazement at them. "I'll be damned. The Frick and Frack Show

is back in town." He sat up and started typing something on his computer. Bobby asked, "Who or what is 'The Frick and Frack'

show, Tony?" Tony stopped typing and turned his computer screen around so that Alex and Bobby could see.

* * *

"Meet Franco Holland," Tony said. "We call him Frick." The record that was showing had him at 6 foot even, brown hair, hazel eyes, 

slim build with some drug and assault arrests. Tony pushed a button and another record appeared. "Meet Francisco Torres. We like

to call him Frack." Alex read some of his stats out loud. "5 foot 4, black hair, brown eyes, compact muscular build. Drug and assault

arrests." Alex looked at Antonio and said, "I could mop the floor with this guy." "Shit. I wouldn't try it. I've seen him take on guys

Bobby's size and win." Bobby jotted down this information in his binder. "Using a speedball to kill is their weapon of choice?" he

asked. Antonio nodded. "Oh yeah. The stuff they use would make a 400 pound gorilla keel over in a matter of minutes. They've

known each other ever since they were in diapers. They left NYC 2 years ago." Bobby pulled out the picture of the brand. "You ever

come across this brand before in any of your investigations?"

* * *

Antonio whistled. "Dammit, Bobby. When you get lucky, you get lucky." He typed on the computer again and brought up another 

record. "Lady and gentleman, meet Frank James Devlin, a.k.a. Frankie Devil." Frank James Devlin was listed as being 5 foot 10,

sandy blonde hair, blue eyes with a slim build. Charges against him included drug trafficking and fraud. "This guy banished Frick and

Frack from New York. They had messed up some drug buy that he had been planning for a while by getting the supplier pinched. If

that brand was found on your vic's hand, it means he stole something from Frankie Devil." "Drugs? Money?" "It doesn't matter with

Frank James. He'd have a beat down put on you even if you took a toothpick out of his house without him knowing about it. He's that

petty." "How did Devlin hook up with Anderson?" "Newberry, I mean Anderson, showed up last February at Devlin's Valentine's

Day party with some guy and gal." Bobby showed Tony the picture of Eric and Eden. He looked at it and pointed to them. "That's

them. Anyway, we had a couple of guys in there posing as bartenders at this party. Devlin allowed him to ply his trade at the party.

When this one guy shortchanged Anderson, he beat the living daylights out of him. The 2nd time Anderson showed up at Devlin's was

in late June. Only he and his girl showed up. They stayed about 2 hours before leaving together. She came back later by herself later

on that night."

* * *

Alex asked Antonio, "Why did you call her 'his girl?'" "The way she clung onto him. We assumed that she was his woman. Alex 

shook her head. "That's his younger sister, not his main squeeze." Antonio sat back in his chair again, stroking his chin. He looked

from Bobby to Alex, then back again. "Dang. That's deep. You planning on going after Frankie Devil for this guy's murder?" "If we

can tie him to it, we will," Bobby replied. The lieutenant nodded his head. "Well, maybe you'll have better luck catching his ass than

we've had. We've just been watching him for awhile. Devlin hasn't really done anything drug related worthy for us to try to put

someone inside again. He's actually quite the renaissance man. He's got his hands in a little bit of everything: drugs, prostitution, fraud.

Right now, his latest job is being a real estate investor/developer." "Are any of the other squads looking at him hard besides you

guys?" Antonio shook his head. "It seems like every time a case is about to be brought against him with charges that will stick, his

lawyer always seems to pull some witnesses out of a magic hat that can disrupt those charges." "Who's his lawyer?" "David Joseph

Brewster. That guy oozes snake oil out of every pore of his body."

* * *

Alex said, "Brewster. That's the lawyer that drew up DeMarco's power of attorney." "If your vic was tangled up with Devlin and 

Brewster, his days were numbered." "How come?" "If Anderson was trying to do business with both of them, but Devlin found out

about it, he'd get Frick and Frack to do some damage to him. Devlin and Brewster have this really weird love/hate relationship going

on between them. Brewster wants to be just like Devlin. Drugs, money, the whole nine yards. Devlin can't stand him, but needs him to

keep him out of jail. If Devlin has something that Brewster wants, Brewster will try to steal it from him. Especially when it comes to

women. Frank absolutely loves all women of all varying shades. Doesn't matter what race they are. Now Brewster only loves light

skinned black women. The lighter, the better." "Why is that?" "Because according to him, they give the best blowjobs. Sorry, Alex."

"That's okay. I've heard worse." "Anyway, if Devlin has a bevy of beauties at his place and any of them happens to be a light skinned

black woman, Brewster will do anything to take her away from Devlin. He gets some kind of strange pleasure in rubbing that fact in

Devlin's face. All Frankie ever does is goes and slaps him around for a little bit before making up with him about a week later." "You

think Brewster is capable of taking over Devlin's empire?" "Nah. He doesn't have that kind of juice to pull it off. He's got enough

respect as a lawyer to get the thugs and criminals outta jail, but enough respect to get anybody to try to help him overthrow Devlin."

* * *

Bobby pointed to the picture at Eden. "Has this woman been with Devlin a lot?" "Yeah. She's actually the most steady woman he's 

had in over a year." "Has she been in Brewster's company lately?" "We haven't seen her with him. We've been mostly concentrating

on Devlin anyway, not him." Bobby gathered up all the pictures and put them back in his binder. They all stood up at the same time.

He held out his hand to Antonio and said, "Thanks for the info, Tony." "You're welcome." Tony shook Alex's hand and said, "Sure I

can't interest you in working here in Narcotics?" "Fat chance, buddy." He laughed. As Bobby and Alex turned to go out of the door,

Antonio said, "Do me favor, will ya?" "Sure. What is it?" Bobby said. "If you do manage to get close enough to Frankie Devil to catch

him doing something drug related during your investigation, you'll let me and my team in on it, so that we can catch this guy together?"

Bobby looked at Alex; she looked at him and nodded. Bobby shook Antonio's hand again. "You've got yourself deal."

* * *

**Tuesday, August 15  
Major Case Squad Room, 7:00 p.m.**

Alex stood up and stretched to work the kinks out of her back. She and Bobby had been going over DeMarco's financial papers and

work history from the past 5 years in the conference room. They found hotel receipts that corresponded with the days he had taken off

from work. That was the good news. The bad news was that those hotel receipts came from about 3 dozen different hotels. And none

of them were in New York state. "You think the Wonder Twins had something to do with their brother getting killed?" Alex asked.

Bobby leaned back in his chair, hands laced behind his head and stretched. "I think they did. I just can't figure out how or why on their

part." "Well, we know Franco Holland and Francisco Torres killed DeMarco Anderson with a mixture of heroin and cocaine because

he stole something from Frank James Devlin, a.k.a. Frankie Devil." "If Devlin's as petty as Tony says he is, maybe the cell phone was

the reason DeMarco got killed. DeMarco stole some clients from him." Bobby sat up and shook his head. "It's got to be something

bigger than that. We're just not seeing it."

* * *

Just then, Captain Ross walked in. He looked at them, then at all the papers strewn out in front of them. "I understand you had 

some excitement in court today," he said. The detectives nodded. "I had a talk with the Chief of Ds. He said that we can keep the case

and take the lead if it turns out we need to involve the Narcotics Squad in this. Catch me up to speed." Alex and Bobby took turns

filling him in on the details and what theory they were working with. After he digested all this information, Ross asked, "What's your

next move?" "Talk to Brewster. Give him a chance to fast talk his way outta jail," answered Alex. "We should probably stake out the

funeral as well. To see how our suspects interact with each other," Bobby said. Ross nodded in agreement. "Very well. Finish up here

and go home. I'll see you when get back from court." Ross turned and walked out the door. As soon as the door closed, Alex softly

clapped her hands. "You managed not to hit him with your shoe today. I'm so proud of you." Bobby stood up and took a bow. They

both laughed at their silliness as they started clearing off the conference table.

* * *

**Tuesday, August 15  
****Bobby's Apartment, 10:00 p.m.**

Bobby sighed as he placed his empty dish in the sink. The lasagna Rob had made for him hit the spot. He laughed to himself as he

remembered Lewis standing on his doorstep waiting for him. Bobby knew as long as Rob was going to be in town, Lewis would show

up like some stray dog to be fed. Lewis couldn't stay to have dinner with him because he had a hot date with some chick named Lola.

He had given her the impression that he knew how to cook. Bobby willingly gave him one of the extra pans of lasagna. Bobby settled

himself into his oversized recliner to watch some TV. He had started flipping through the channels when the house phone rang.

* * *

"Hello." 

"Hey, Bobby-Boy. What's up?"

"Hey, Robby-Boy. Nothing much. What's up?"

"Hold on a sec." Bobby heard Rob take the phone away from his ear and hand it to someone. "Hi, Uncle Bobby."

"Hey, Courtney. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you goodnight."

"Well, thank…thank you very much, sweetheart. Same to you."

"Daddy says me and him are coming to your birthday party on Sunday and that there will be other kids there, too. Are they nice kids?"

Bobby smiled. "Yes, Courtney. They are very nice."

"Okay. I was just wondering'. Good night, Uncle Bobby."

"Good night, Courtney."

He heard Rob wish her sweet dreams and to close the door behind her.

"I watched the news earlier tonight. Um, this judge who had his gay lover appear before him in court? This wasn't your case, was it?"

Bobby sighed heavily. "Yep. It was." Rob chuckled. "Man, why am I not surprised by that." "Shut up!" Bobby said playfully. Rob laughed harder.

They didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. Finally, Bobby said, "I bought her a ring today."

Rob didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Which her are you referring to?" "Angel. I bought her a gold band with the word "LOVE" inscribed on it."

"You're choosing Angel over Alannah?" "I...I don't know." Bobby stammered. "Part of me wants Angel to be in my life. To settle

down and have a family with her. The other part of me wants Alannah because the type of relationship we have doesn't hurt either one

of us. We could care less who the other person is with as long as we get together to do our thing. Besides, you know what happens

when I let them in my life: they always leave."

* * *

"So you're just going to toss aside any possibility of having a stable relationship with Angel? You're just going to dismiss her without 

giving her chance to be a part of your life because you THINK she'll leave you because she can't hack being in your life?! You're

choosing an unstable relationship with Alannah because THAT'S safe?!"

"Oh come on, Rob! You make it sound like I'm being unreasonable!"

"That's because you ARE being unreasonable, Bobby! In all the years I've known you, I know you want what your parents didn't

have: an honest and stable relationship. I listened to you 2 years ago when you talked about this girl. You told me you had told her

about how screwed up your life has been and that she didn't flinch or run away screaming from you. I KNEW THEN she had to be

the one that would stay with you and try to make the relationship work."

Bobby remained quiet as Rob's words echoed in his ears. "I saw Angel today. I had the opportunity to look deep into her eyes. I saw this look of fear and insecurity in them because she was thinking I'd break her heart."

Rob sighed. "Look. I'm not trying to tell you who you should choose. That's your decision to make. But I can tell you this: if you keep leading Angel on for too long, she'll eventually get tired of it and walk away." "I know that."

"I'm glad you do. Now that's settled, you wanna go watch Angel perform at Club Silkie's Friday night? I read on the website that she goes on at 10:00. I'd love to hear her sing." "Sure why not. I've never heard her sing, either."

"All right. When I get back to your place tomorrow night, we'll make some definite plans. I'm going to bed. Good night, Bobby-Boy." "Good night, Robby-Boy."

**

* * *

**

**Tuesday, August 15  
****Angel's Home, 10:00 p.m.**

Angel liked rain. She was sitting on her porch in the 2 person swing watching the raindrops hit the street. She inhaled deeply the

fresh smell of the rain on the wet grass. Her cell phone rang, the tune of "Boogie Shoes" coming out of it. She smiled because that ring

tone was assigned to her mom.

"Hey, Mama. Como esta?"

"Hey, baby. I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm okay. What are you doing up?"

"Oh, I 'm doing some research for a couple of professors from the university. I saw on the Weather Channel that it was raining up in your area. I figured you'd be out in it some kind of way."

Angel laughed. "Yep. I'm sitting in the swing watching the water hitting the ground."

"I knew it," Laurel said with a laugh. "How was your day?"

"It was okay. I went into the office today for a client luncheon. I did a little bit of work there before I went down to Silkie's. I had dinner with him and the band. We practiced after dinner. I got home about 30 minutes ago."

"Hmm. You were busy today. What songs did you practice? Any of your songs?"

"Nah. We just did some Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, and Chaka Khan songs. I'm just going to be doing cover songs on Friday night. Silkie wants me to do some of The Saints songs next year on the 5th anniversary of Garvin's death."

"Oh, okay. That sounds like a good idea. Do you think you'll be up to it?" "Yeah. I think I will be."

"DeMarco's body got released to the funeral home this afternoon."

"Oh. Did you get a chance to go see his body?"

"No. I'm letting Lynnette be in charge of the funeral arrangements. She knows what DeMarco would want for his final homegoing."

"Make sure you e-mail me the address of funeral home so that I can send some flowers on behalf of our family." "I will."

Laurel waited for Angel to say something else, but she didn't. "What's wrong, Baby Girl?" she asked.

"I kissed Bobby today." "Oh my. He used the panty dropping voice on you, did he?"

"Ma!" "Oh, please. Why do you think I married your daddy?" "Ugh! Ma, between you and Janelle, I have such lovely visuals running through my already overactive imagination."

Laurel laughed. "Hey. I call them like I see them. So, was it a bad kiss? A good kiss? A good bad kiss?"

Angel sighed. "It was an absolutely fantastic kiss. It's just that…I think I may be fooling myself in thinking that he likes me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Bobby has a "friend with benefits" that he's been seeing for a while. On his birthday for the past 5 years."

"Oh. I see. So, you don't see yourself having any kind of a chance of being with him?"

"No. I'm probably too plain for Bobby." "What do you mean?"

Angel sniffed. "Let's just say that the Amazon sex goddess can undo a man's belt and unzip his pants with her teeth, hands tied behind her back in under 30 seconds."

Laurel snorted. "That kind of skill eventually fades away. She has to come for air and be able to hold a decent conversation sometime."

Angel lightly chuckled. "Yeah. That's true." "I know you feel a strong connection with Bobby. Why don't you take a chance and ask him how he feels about you?"

Leave to Mom to come up with the most logical solution to a problem. Angel bit her lip and thought about what she said. She had always been extremely shy about broadcasting her feelings to any man she had been with. "I'll think about, Mami."

Laurel smiled, the stifled a yawn. "Oh, excuse me. I guess I'm getting sleepy."

"Well, I'll let you go to bed, Ma. Good night."

"Good night, Angel. Te amo."

"Te amo, Mami. Good night."

**

* * *

**

**Tuesday August 15  
****Bobby's Apartment, 11:15 p.m.**

Bobby came out the bathroom and entered into his bedroom. The reminder chime on his cell phone was going off. He picked it up off his nightstand table and looked at the display. It said that he had a new text message. He flipped open the phone and saw that the message was from Angel. The message said: _Hey Handsome :) Just wanted to say good night._

Bobby smiled to himself as he replied back. His message said: _Thank you. Call me._

2 minutes later, his cell phone rang.

"Hi," Bobby said.

"Hi. How are you?" Angel asked.

"I'm okay."

"So, why am I calling you?"

"I just wanted to hear the voice that goes with the passionate kiss that I experienced this morning."

Angel chuckled. "I'm flattered."

"You should be." Bobby lowered his voice and asked, "Before you go to bed, Angelica, I want to know one thing. Where and how do you want me?"

Angel's breath caught in her throat. She took a deep breath and said very quietly, "Naked and rock hard in my bed."

Bobby smiled to himself. "That's what I thought. Good night, Angel." "Good night, Bobby."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's notes: The lyrics to the song "The Comfort Zone" were written by Kipper Jones & Reggie Stewart. LO:CI characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. This chapter is rated M for liberal use of the f bomb. Any mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy:o)****

* * *

Tuesday, August 15**  
**Angel's Home 11:20 p.m.**

Angel placed her cell phone on the nightstand, shaking her head. "Oh boy," she said to herself. She laid there in her bed underneath the

king size lightweight summer quilt her grandmother had made for her when she was 6. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what

she had just said to Bobby. "Well, you definitely know what you want," she said to herself. Then she turned on her side, hugging a

pillow. She listened to the rain hitting her roof before falling asleep.**

* * *

Two years ago**  
**1****st**** Sunday in August, Bobby's apartment**

_Angel was watching the rain fall from the 2__nd__ bedroom window when she heard the apartment door open and Bobby's voice _

_saying, "Angel, I'm back." She moved away from the window and headed towards the living room. "Oh my goodness," she _

_exclaimed as she walked in and caught sight of him. He was drenched from head to toe. "I see you forgot your umbrella," she _

_said with a smile as she stepped over to help him out of his sport jacket. Bobby placed 2 plastic bags on the counter before _

_shrugging out of it, handing the soaking wet garment to Angel. "I thought it wasn't suppose to rain until tonight," he said to _

_her retreating back. Angel emerged from the bathroom with a towel in her hand, having hung the jacket up to dry. _

_"Tomorrow night is what the weather person had said," she replied as she handed him the towel. Bobby thanked Angel as he _

_started drying his hair. "Hey! Stop that!" she said with a laugh. Bobby had shaken his head a little and got some water on her. _

_He just smiled at her.__

* * *

Bobby noticed Angel had on one of his NYPD t-shirts and some white socks. He looked at her and wondered if she had on _

anything underneath. Having caught him staring at her, Angel said, "Yes, I have on underwear and shorts. You wanna see?"

Bobby shook his head and smiled. "I'll take your word for it." He hung the towel around his neck and started unbuttoning his

shirt as he walked into the kitchen. On the stove were 2 different sized pots. "Did you cook?" he asked, taking the lid off of

the larger pot which held green beans. Angel answered, "No. My best friend's mom actually made dinner for us. There's a pan

of chicken and dressing and a pan of macaroni and cheese in the oven. The smaller pot has giblet gravy in it. All I did was

stop by the store and bought the rolls." She pointed to the chocolate cake that was sitting on the counter near the microwave.

"I did make the cake though." 

* * *

"_Wow. That was very kind of her. Please…please thank her for me" "I will. You want to eat now?" Bobby glanced at the _

_clock on the microwave. It read 5:35 p.m. "Maybe later. I'd like to take a short nap. I'm kind of beat." Captain Deakins had _

_called him at 2:00 a.m., asking him to partner temporarily with Detective Capshaw until her partner, who was the more _

_senior of the two, came back into town on Monday. When Bobby had come back home from the crime scene, it was 9:00 a.m. _

_and Angel had been heading out the door to wait outside for her ride to church. He had taken a shower and changed clothes _

_before going to visit his mom. Bobby had taken off his shirt and had it hanging over his arm, but Angel took it, heading _

_towards the bathroom. He lightly grabbed onto her wrist and said, "I can take it in there. You don't have to do that." She _

_placed her hand over his and looked up at him with a smile. "I don't mind. I like feeling useful." Bobby sighed before he _

_kissed her on the forehead and let go of her wrist. Angel walked off towards the bathroom. Bobby picked up the 2 plastic bags _

_and headed towards his bedroom to finish undressing.__

* * *

By the time Angel had come out of the bathroom, Bobby had changed into a t-shirt and lounging pants. He was sitting on the _

foot of the bed, taking off his socks. She sat Indian style next to him. "Did you have a good visit with your mama?" Bobby

nodded. "It was nice. We went down to the cafeteria and had brunch together. We even did a crossword puzzle together."

"That's good." Bobby reached behind him, grabbed one of the 2 plastic bags and handed it to Angel. "What's this?" she

asked as she reached into the bag and pulled out a small box. "Just a little something for you to…to remember me by." Bobby

watched as Angel ripped the wrapping paper off and opened the box. Inside was a gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant

attached to it. She covered her mouth and looked at Bobby, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's very beautiful, Bobby," Angel

managed to say as she uncrossed her legs and threw her arms around his neck. _

* * *

Angel and Bobby held onto each other for a few minutes. She finally sat down again and looked at the necklace, her head _

resting on his shoulder. "Do you like it?" he asked. Angel nodded her head vigorously. She lifted her head and looked deep

into his eyes, her hand on his cheek. "This is such a nice gift. I didn't even think to get you anything. I'm sorry." "Please,

don't be. You're spending your last week in New York with me. That's a great gift." With the box still in her hand, Angel

grabbed Bobby's t-shirt to pull him down onto the bed, on top of her. "Well, how about I give you a greater gift?" she

whispered. Bobby gave her a mischievous grin and said, "Well, that's what in the 2_nd__ bag." "What's in the 2__nd__ bag?" "Two _

_12-pack boxes of condoms. I intend to go through BOTH boxes this week." Angel raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You on _

_something I should know about?" He shook his head as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. "God, you are such a freak," _

_she said playfully against his lips. Bobby moved to where Angel could feel his growing erection. He whispered seductively in _

_her ear, "That…is one of my more endearing qualities," before ravishing her neck with kisses._**

* * *

Wednesday, August 16  
The Devil's Playground, CA 11:00 a.m.**

"What the FUCK is this?!" Frank James Devlin a.k.a. Frankie Devil said to Franco Holland and Francisco Torres a.k.a. Frick and

Frack. They were in the office of Devlin's new nightclub which was going to be opening today in Hollywood. Frick and Frack were

standing in front of his desk, heads hanging low. Devlin held in his hand a cell phone. He waved it under Franco's nose. "Frankie 1,

what the hell is this?!" "A cell phone," he mumbled under his breath. Devlin then waved the phone under Francisco's nose. "What the

fuck is this, Frankie 2?!" "A...a...a cell phone, boss." Devlin rocked back and forth in his executive chair. "Well, I am SO FUCKING

glad you 2 morons know what a cell phone is!" Devlin stood up and threw the phone. It whizzed dangerously close by Francisco's ear

before breaking into a lot of little pieces against the wall. He was about to start yelling when there was a knock on the door. "What!?"

The door opened, revealing a tall leggy blonde wearing a black mini skirt and white see through blouse. "Frank James, the security guys

are here," she said. "You want to show them what to do or do you want me to do it?" "You can do it," he replied. "Okay." As she was

about to shut the door, Devlin said, "Randi, do I get to see what's up the skirt?" She turned and looked at him, a blank expression on

her face. Randi put her hands on hips and said, "Frank James, if you manage to break even tonight, I'll let your tongue taste what's

under this skirt." She puckered up her lips, making a kissing sound and closed the door.

* * *

Devlin had a leery grin on his face. When he turned and looked at Frick and Frack, the grin turned into a sneer. He sat down again, 

rocking back and forth, inhaling and exhaling deeply. The standing Frankies chanced a glance at each other before looking at Devlin.

He stopped rocking and leaned forward, elbows on the desk, fingers intertwined. "I let you 2 goons come back home to New York on

the condition you get my jump drive from that damn thief. Yet, you bring me his FUCKING cell phone instead. Why?!" "We…we…

we thought you could use the celly. You know, use his contacts to increase your business," Francisco replied. Devlin quickly stood up

and slammed his hand down on the desk, making them jump. "I don't pay you to have a thought or an inkling of an idea. I pay you to

do what I say! I already have plenty of business. I WANT MY FUCKING PROPERTY BACK!!" He sat back down, breathing

heavily.

* * *

"What…what do you want us to do?" Franco asked. "I want you to go back to New York and lay low for a while. When everything

blows over, I want you to find out where he lived and find my shit." Devlin reached into the top drawer and pulled out a gun, placing it

on top of the desk. Then he pointed to the door. "Now, I suggest you get outta my sight before I let my dangerous side overrule my

forgiving side." Franco and Francisco looked at the gun, then at each other before walking as quickly as they could out of the office.**

* * *

Wednesday, August 16**  
**Rossi's Jewelry Shop. 3:00 p.m.**

"Welcome to Rossi's, young lady," Mrs. Rossi said to Angel when she walked into the shop. "Let me finish with these customers and

I'll be right with you." "Okay. Thank you." Angel wandered over to the men's watch case. She was happy that this place was still in

business. Bobby had brought her to Rossi's to get the necklace T.J. was going to be buried with fixed. She looked up and down the

rows and rows of watches in the glass case. Angel hoped she would find something that Bobby would like, something to match his

personality. She absently started moving the locket up and down its chain and biting her lip. Mrs. Rossi smiled as she noticed Angel

playing with her necklace. She cocked her head to side a little as she stared at Angel. She was trying to remember when and where she

had seen her before.

* * *

"Thank you for coming to Rossi's. Have a good day," Mrs. Rossi said as she handed a small plastic bag to the young couple she had

helped. They thanked her and left. "Now, what can I help you with today, young lady?" Mrs. Rossi asked, walking over to where

Angel was standing. Angel straightened up and smiled at her. "I'm looking for a birthday gift for a friend," she replied. "You've come to

the right place then. I can help you find what you're looking for." As she was looking at Angel and her necklace, the light bulb turned

on for Mrs. Rossi as she remembered who Angel was. "You're Bobby's Angel, yes?" Angel's eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Mrs. Rossi pointed to Angel's necklace. "You came in here with Bobby Goren 2 years ago to get a necklace fixed. I remember he was

practically a nervous wreck trying to decide whether or not he was going to get that necklace you're wearing now." Angel smiled and

blushed. "I haven't been called his Angel before." Mrs. Rossi gave her a wide smile. "Well, you are, just in case you didn't know. He

came by earlier this week to buy some thank you gifts. Are you going to his birthday party Sunday?" Angel shrugged. "I'll try, but I've

got some prior commitments that I need to take care of first," she lied.

* * *

"Well, I hope you get to go," Mrs. Rossi said. "It sounds like the social event of the year." Angel chuckled. Mrs. Rossi waved her hand

over the watch case. "So, have you seen anything you'd like to look at?" Angel pointed to a gold watch with gold Roman numerals

and a white crystal face. "I'd like to see this one," she replied. Mrs. Rossi unlocked the case and pulled out the watch. She gave it to

Angel to look at while she locked the case again. Angel looked at the watch closely, nervously biting her lip again. She placed it on top

of the case. "Do you think Bobby will like it?" she asked softly. Emma Rossi looked at the watch, then looked at Angel and said from

the bottom of her heart, "I think, no I KNOW, Bobby will love anything he receives from his Angel." Angel gave her a crooked smile.

She was amazed at the conviction of Mrs. Rossi's statement. She wondered how could this woman be so sure she, Angelica Marie

Pierson-St. John, was the one for Bobby when she was afraid to even admit it to herself. "I'll take it," she said softly after a few

seconds of thought.

* * *

Mr. Rossi came out from the back just as Mrs. Rossi had finished ringing up the sale and was on the way to her gift wrapping station.

"Emma, I'm going to the bank." She looked up from what she was doing and said, "Carlo, meet Bobby Goren's friend, Angel." Mr.

Rossi and Angel shook hands. "Ah. So, you're the young lady he gave the necklace to." Angel blushed again. "Yes, sir. I am." "Well,

I'm glad to see you again. You here for another visit?" "No. I moved up here in February of this year." Carlo looked at his wife and

saw the 'it's-time-to-play-matchmaker' look in her eye. He silently agreed with her by blinking his eyes once. "Well, this is a pleasant

surprise," he said. "I hope you like it here." Angel replied, "I really do like here." "We invited Bobby to come by the house for dinner

next week to celebrate his birthday. You make sure he brings you with him." Angel was about to insist that she didn't want to intrude,

but Mr. Rossi held up his hand to stop her. "No arguments, young lady. Bobby is more like a son to us than a friend. We do enjoy

meeting his friends."

* * *

Angel looked at Mr. Rossi, then at Mrs. Rossi. She smiled and put her hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay. You won't get any arguments

from me. I'd be honored to have dinner with you." She reached into her purse and pulled out one of her Computer City business cards.

She gave it to Mr. Rossi. "Please give me call when you uh, twist Bobby's arm into having dinner with you," she said with a smile. Mr.

and Mrs. Rossi both laughed. Mrs. Rossi put the wrapped box into a dark blue plastic bag and handed it to Angel. Angel shook their

hands and said, "Thank you for wrapping this. It was nice to see you again." "Same here," replied Mrs. Rossi. "We'll call you next

week to let you know when to come over for dinner." "Okay. I look forward to it. Y'all have a good day." Angel waved to them as

she walked out of the door. She shook her head as she walked to her car, wondering how a simple gift buying trip turned into a dinner

invitation.

* * *

Carlo put his arm around Emma's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. "So, what do you think, Emma?" he asked. "Should we start

setting aside wedding sets for them?" Emma looked at her husband and smiled. "I think that's a great idea. I'll give Bobby 8 months to

propose to her on his own before I start nagging him to do it."**

* * *

Wednesday, August 16**  
**Inside SUV, 3:15 p.m.**

Alex and Bobby were on their way to question David Brewster. They didn't have to spend too much time in court, just a couple of

hours. When they got back to the squad room, they had gone over the financials of Eric and Eden Anderson & Franco Holland and

Francisco Torres. The bulletins that had been put out for both sets of crooks hadn't yielded any results yet. "God, I can't believe

Eden's tricked out Lancer has not been seen anywhere," Alex said. "Surely something THAT loud would attract some attention." "Not

unless they've hidden it somewhere," Bobby replied absently. "What's got you so preoccupied?" "I…I'm studying my notes of the files

Tony gave us from his surveillance of Frank Devlin. It says in there that he was a complete technophile, always had the latest and

greatest gadgets. And that he always carried a jump drive or external hard drive with him that stored his important business

information." Alex nodded. "Yeah, that's right." "Also, the files said that Devlin let Eden come and go as she pleased. She didn't have

any of his guys following her around or anything like that. To me, that indicates an extremely high level trust on Devlin's part towards

her." "Okay. What's your theory?" Bobby inhaled and then exhaled. "What if DeMarco Anderson was killed by mistake?" "What?!

Killed by mistake? How in the world did you come up with that idea?" "Think about it, Eames. Eden's criminal record consists mostly

of thefts. What if she actually stole something from Devlin, but he thought DeMarco stole it from him?" Alex slowly nodded her head as

she wrapped her mind around Bobby's theory. "Since Devlin lets Eden come and go any time she wants to without any body following

her, it would have been easy for her to steal from him," she said. "Let's say we go with this theory. Why not kill Eden? Why kill

DeMarco?" "I think Devlin's too much in love with Eden to do anything to her. Plus, Eden can sweet talk her way out of any situation

by using her 'charms.'" Alex snorted at the word 'charms.' "If you mean 'charms' equals being an asshole, I'll buy that."

* * *

Bobby said, "Add this to the rest of theory. Remember Tony told us they thought DeMarco and Eden were an item?" "Yeah, so?"

"What if that perception was never cleared up?" Alex was silent for a moment. "Devlin had DeMarco killed because he thought

DeMarco was trying to steal back his woman and his business," she said in awe. Bobby nodded. Alex let out a low whistle. "Damn, if

that theory actually holds true, Devlin messed up big time."

* * *

The two detectives were sitting in the waiting room of Brewster's office. Bobby noticed that the staff was mostly female, a majority of

them were light skinned black women. 3 of them, who looked to be in their mid-20's, were standing near a bookcase, whispering to

each other and pointing at Bobby's feet. Each time he looked at them and smiled, they smiled back and giggled. Alex rolled her eyes

and looked around the office. Bobby leaned over to her and asked, "Should I be worried that they're pointing at my feet?" Alex

looked at his feet, then looked him in the face and asked, "Do those size 13s live up to the hype?" Bobby was about to reply to Alex's

smartass comment when he was interrupted by a male voice saying, "Detectives, please come into my office." They stood up, walking

passed the giggling trio into David Brewster's office. One of the women caught Bobby by his jacket sleeve. "Excuse me, Detective,"

she said. "Yes, Miss?" "Are you taken?" Bobby blushed at the question. "Yes, I am." "Too bad," she said as she looked him up and

down. She winked her eye at Bobby and stepped back to her friends. "Goren, let's go!" Alex said sharply. Bobby smiled at the ladies

again and hurried into the office behind Alex, feeling thoroughly chastised.

* * *

"_Tony was not kidding about this guy," _Alex thought as she and Bobby sat across from David Joseph Brewster. He was 5'10",

tanned, slightly husky with a crooked nose. His hair was jet black and slicked back with so much gel, Alex noticed that some of it had

dripped onto his collar. To top off his look, one of his 2 front teeth was gold with the letter 'D' encrusted on it with small diamonds.

"Well, now. What can I do for New York's finest?" he asked. Alex said, "Mr. Brewster, we're investigating the murder of DeMarco

Anderson. We understand he was a client of yours." Brewster made a face. "I'm sorry I don't recognize the name. You must be

mistaken." Bobby pulled out the copy of the power of attorney from his binder and showed it to him. "Is this your signature, Mr.

Brewster?" he asked. Brewster took the piece of paper from Bobby, pretending to examine it closely. He smiled as he handed it back

to him. "Yes, that's my signature. Mr. Anderson either got my name out of the phone book or he was recommended by a client of

mine. I can't remember which. May I ask how you came to get that?" "How we got it, Mr. Brewster, is of no importance at this time,"

Alex said. "What can you tell us about Mr. Anderson?"

* * *

Bobby slightly tuned out Alex as she started questioning Brewster. He shifted a little in his seat to look at the picture sitting behind

Brewster, but he couldn't see it because Brewster moved, blocking his view. He then turned his attention to the pictures hanging on the

wall. He noticed that Brewster looked very chummy with his clients in each one of the pictures. The color headshot picture of Angel

caught Bobby by surprise. He stood up, placing his binder in the chair and walked over to the wall. He managed to sneak a quick peek

of the picture that was hidden behind Brewster. Bobby stepped close to the wall and looked at Angel's picture. It was a promo picture

from her earlier days as leader singer for The Saints. "Mr. Brewster, are all of these people your clients?" he asked. Brewster was

caught off guard by the question. "Uh, no. Some of them are my clients. And some of them are celebrities I've met." "Eames, check out

some of the famous people Mr. Brewster has met."

* * *

Alex got up and walked towards Bobby as he started naming some of the celebrities in the pictures. When she got close, Bobby

pointed to Angel's picture. "Look, he even has a picture of the lead singer of The Saints. Oh, what's her name?" Bobby snapped his

fingers as he pretended to try to remember Angel's name. "Angelica St. John," Brewster said. He got up out of his seat and walked

over to the detectives. Alex stepped back and off to side to let Bobby do his thing. "Was she a client of yours?" Bobby asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I did get to meet her a couple of times," Brewster lied. He touched the picture as if he were stroking her hair.

Bobby leaned in close to Brewster and asked conspiringly, "Is true what they say about light skinned black women? That they give the

best blow jobs?" Brewster flashed him a lecherous smile. 'Oh, yeah. The best." "So, Miss St. John …?" "Gave me the most exquisite

blow job I've ever had." "Really?" Bobby stepped away from Brewster and picked up the picture that had been hidden behind him.

The picture was of Eden and Brewster on a beach somewhere. "She gave a better blowjob than your lady friend here?" Bobby held

the picture where Alex could see it. "Even better," Brewster replied.

* * *

Bobby fought the urge to punch Brewster in the face. Alex looked at Bobby and saw what he was thinking. "Mr. Brewster, my partner

and I have taken up enough of your time," she said to bring Bobby's attention back to the job. He smiled and handed the picture to

Brewster. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Brewster," Bobby said as he picked up his binder. "I might have to give your 'idea' a try

someday," he said with a fake smile plastered on his face. "You should, Detective. You'll be in heaven." Bobby glanced at Alex who

had rolled her eyes. He held the door open for her and followed her out.

* * *

Bobby threw his binder onto the dashboard so hard, Alex thought he might have cracked the windshield. He sat there, breathing in and

out hard. "You know he's lying about him and Angel, right?" Alex asked carefully. Bobby looked at her and snapped, "Of course, I

know that!" Alex's face took on a stony appearance. She angrily threw the SUV into drive and took off fast enough to throw Bobby

back into his seat. Bobby stared out of the window, his breathing starting to calm down. After a few minutes of angry silence, he said,

"Alex, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alex visibly loosen up a little. "It's just

that he was portraying Angel as if she was some kind of…of whore or something. I know she's not like that." Alex sighed. "You and I

both know Angel would NOT go anywhere near that creep," she said. "God, I wanted to punch Brewster in the face and the balls

myself." Bobby chuckled. "Are we okay?" he asked softly. Alex looked over at him, a faint smile on her lips. "Yeah, we're okay." The

silence returned, but it was the comfortable kind they were used to. As they neared 1PP, Alex said, "That picture of Brewster and

Eden definitely proves Devlin had the wrong person killed." Bobby answered, "The main question right now is what is he going to do to

rectify that situation."**

* * *

Wednesday, August 16**  
**Club Silkie's, 7:05 p.m.**

"Hey, everybody. Sorry I'm late," Angel said as she walked into the club, putting her purse on the nearest table. Some of the band

members were on stage playing their instruments, others were sitting at tables near the stage, talking. They all said hi to her. "Aw,

shucky ducky now! Baby Girl is in the house!" Angel turned around and smiled at Edwin Haggard a.k.a. Silkie. He was 5 foot 7 and

husky, with skin as dark as midnight, a low cut Caesar hairstyle and a easy smile. "Hey, Silkie," she said with a laugh as she gave him a

hug. "I'm sorry I'm late. Bible Study ran a little long." Silkie looked at his watch. "Angel, it's only 5 minutes after 7. You're not that

late." "I know, but you said be here at 7." He rolled his eyes. "Girl, worry about me getting mad when you're over 10 minutes late.

Sheesh." "Okay, okay, okay. I just didn't want you to think I was trying to pull a diva move or anything like that." Silkie just shook his

head. "Anyway, have you decided on an opening song yet?" "Yeah, I have. I was thinking we ought to start out with "The Comfort

Zone." Something that will get the crowd into a mellow, feel good mood." "Aw, shit! I like that!" The rest of the band members agreed.

Everybody took their places. Angel took her place behind the microphone and counted them off._

* * *

Where do you go?_  
_When there's a need to be loved  
__Like you need to be loved  
__Oh, I'll let you know  
__Just what to do and where to go_

_Hey, welcome to the comfort zone  
__When you need to be loved like you need to be  
__Welcome to the comfort zone  
__Do whatever feels right and turns you on_

_After a hard day at work  
__There's one thing to be certain of  
__This old familiar love  
__Oh, it's not unusual to find that a sensual hold  
__Is all you need to let go_

_There's no need to find  
__Or compromise  
__Or settle for another outside of my love  
__The thing to do when you get through  
__Heed the message; seek the comfort of my zone_

_Comfort zone  
__When you need to be loved like you need to be  
__Welcome to the comfort zone  
__Do whatever feels right and turns you on_

_Hey, welcome to the comfort zone  
__When you need to be loved like you need to be  
__Welcome to the comfort zone  
__No one ever has to know what turns you on_

_Hey, let me make you comfortable  
__Let me take control  
__And give your mind a break from the day you made  
__Let's turn the lights down low  
__And oh the rest you know  
__I'll be here for you  
_'_Cause you just stepped into the comfort zone_

* * *

When Angel had stopped singing, clapping could be heard coming from the bar area. Everyone looked to see who it was. Emerging

from the shadows was Eric and Eden. They kept clapping as they walked towards the stage. _"Oh, hell," _Angel thought, _"let the fun _

_and games begin." _"That was abso-fucking-lutely wonderful, wasn't Eric?" Eden asked sarcastically. Eric nodded. "Just fucking damn

wonderful, Eden." Angel took a deep breath. "Hey, Eric. Hey, Eden," she said cautiously. Eden said, "What? Your stuck up ass too

good to come down here and give us some love? Bitch, we are GRIEVING, you know." Angel narrowed her eyes. "That's okay. I

can show y'all some love from up here." _"Plus, I've got a better vantage point of kicking you in the teeth if necessary." _she

thought. Silkie had come from behind the drums and stood next to Angel. "How in the hell did you and your punk ass brother get pass

the security guard?! You know you're banned from coming in here." Eden shrugged her shoulders and said nonchalantly, "I sucked his

dick. No big deal." Angel mentally rolled her eyes, knowing Eden would actually do anything to get her way.

* * *

Silkie started to get off the stage to confront Eden, but Angel put her arm up to stop him. "Just call for more security," she whispered to

him. He glared at the Wonder Twins once more before heading back to the drums to get his cell phone. Eric and Eden laughed,

pointing at Silkie. Eric said, "Look at that short, round, blacker than the ace of spades motherfucker. Letting some bitch fight his battles

for him. What a pussy!" Angel could feel her blood pressure rise. She inhaled and exhaled slowly to keep herself from getting angry.

Through gritted teeth, she asked, "What do you want?" Eden walked a little closer to the stage. "What do I want?! I want to know

what DeMarco left me, Queen Bitch, in his will. Because everything he ever owned or got belongs to me." Angel shook her head. "I

have no idea what's in your brother's will." "What do you mean you don't know!? Davey said you had power of attorney. Meaning

you probably were a witness to his will. Quit lying to me and tell me what I want to know, skank!" "I. DO. NOT. KNOW." Angel

started breathing heavy again.

* * *

Eden walked closer to the stage, looking at Angel up and down with a sneer. "Figures your ignorant ass wouldn't know anything," she

spat at Angel. Angel just stared at Eden. As she was looking at her, Angel noticed that Eden was wearing gray contacts and had dyed

her hair the same shade of brown as hers. Eden picked up on Angel checking out her new look. "Jealous of the new look?" she asked.

"Hardly," was the reply. Eden scoffed. "You ought to be. I rock the gray eyes better than you. Besides, Davey for some God forsaken

reason is infatuated with your fake goody goody ass, so I gotta look like you to hold onto him." Angel had finally had enough of the

insults. Without any warning or thought, she pulled her foot back and kicked Eden in the shoulder. She kicked her so hard, she sent her

flying across the dance floor. "You fucking bitch!" Eden roared. She jumped up, pulling a switchblade out of her pocket. She was

getting ready to rush the stage and attack Angel when the security guard she persuaded to let her in came up behind her and knocked

the blade out of her hand. Then he twisted her arm behind her. Two other guards had come in with him and grabbed Eric by each arm.

Silkie came back and stood next to Angel and said, "Get these pieces of garbage outta my club."

* * *

The Wonder Twins struggled as the guards dragged them out of the club. Eden yelled over her shoulder, "I don't see what Garvin ever

saw in your stupid ass, Angel! He could have had me! A strong woman who would have held her man down! Instead he married a

weakling like you! You know what?! I'm glad he's dead! Because if I couldn't have him, then you sure in the hell didn't deserve him!"

Angel started breathing heavily again, clenching and unclenching her fists. Eden's parting words had upset her, but she tried not to show

it. Silkie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't listen to stupid wench. You're way much better than she is." Angel walked off

the stage and started pacing back and forth. Finally, when she couldn't stand it any more, she slammed her fist down on the table where

her purse was. "Dammit!" Angel pulled out a chair and sat down, elbows on her knees and her head hanging in her hands. "Damn," she

said softly through her tears.

* * *

Silkie came off the stage and rubbed her back. "Don't listen to her, Baby Girl. Evil people say evil things to make themselves feel

better." Just then, the sound of "Raspberry Beret" came ringing out of Angel's purse. She reached inside, pulled it out and handed it to

Silkie. "That's Janelle," she said. Silkie answered the phone. He walked away from Angel as he started talking to Janelle, filling her in

on what had gone down. From where she sat, she could hear Janelle shouting at Silkie, demanding to speak with Angel. He handed the

phone to her, then walked off to where the guards were. The rest of the band members got off the stage and sat down near and around

Angel to offer their support.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Janelle asked.

Angel sighed. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Do Drew and I need to find them fools and kick their asses?" "God, no, Janelle! I don't have that kind of money to bail both of you out of jail."

"I'm just saying. Nobody talks to my sister like that." Angel smiled ruefully. "I appreciate the offer, but it's okay."

"Silkie said she was trying to look like you." "Yep."

Janelle snorted. "She could never be anything like you. She radiates too much evil." Angel let out a small chuckle.

"I can't believe I missed you dropping kicking that bitch like a bad habit. Damn, girlie! You got some skills." Angel laughed. "I don't even know what made me do that." "Hell, her being an ass is reason enough." "Still. I shouldn't have stooped down to her level."

* * *

"You should call Bobby and tell him what happened," Janelle said. "No, no, no. I'm not telling him. God, I don't want him to worry. He's got enough on his plate." 

"He ain't got to worry, but he should at least be concerned about your safety!"

"Janelle, please drop it. I'm fine. Everything's okay. The Wonder Twins are probably going to find some other people to harass." Tears fell down Angel's face. The last thing she wanted was Janelle or Drew or Bobby to worry about her. Janelle let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Whatever, dude. Just be careful going home, okay?"

"Yes, Mama. I will be careful. Love ya."

"Love you, too. Bye."

* * *

Angel closed the phone and laid it on the table. Silkie had come back and rubbed her back again. "You good?" he asked. Angel

looked at him and nodded. He smiled and patted her shoulder. He turned to the band members and said, "Alright, y'all. Let's go in the

kitchen and eat. Maybe we'll practice again after our nerves have calmed down a little."**

* * *

Wednesday, August 16**  
**Outside of Angel's home, 9:00 p.m.**

A hunter green Suburban was sitting in front of Angel's house when she pulled into her driveway. She didn't recognize it nor did she

see its driver. When she saw Bobby sitting on her porch steps, she smiled to herself. _"Dammit, Janelle. You've got a hard head."_

He was still in his dark blue suit with a light blue shirt. His tie was missing and the top shirt button was unbuttoned. Angel liked the light

blue color on Bobby. It complemented his skin tone, making him look sexy and irresistible. One of his legs was going up and down

furiously. Angel put her car in park and got out. Bobby stood up as she approached him. She stopped about 6 inches away from him.

"Hi," she said softly. "Hi." "Come on in," she said as she walked passed him up the stairs. He turned and followed her inside. Bobby

walked in a little further, looking around while Angel closed and locked the door behind her. When he turned around, Angel had

dropped her purse to her feet, arms crossed, staring at the floor. Bobby walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Janelle called and told me what happened. Are you okay?"

* * *

Angel threw her arms around Bobby waist so quickly he almost barely had enough time to steady himself. She buried her face in his

chest and cried hard. Bobby held onto her, his cheek resting on top of her head. "It's okay, Angel. I'm here. I'm here. Baby, talk to

me." Her heavy sobbing racked her body so much, Bobby squeezed her tighter. He silently cursed Eden for causing this much pain to

Angel. As many times as he had seen her cry, this fit of crying tore at his very soul. Angel turned her head to rest her cheek on his

chest. "Eden said she was glad that Garvin was dead because I didn't deserve to be with him. She said she would have been a better

wife to him than me." "I don't believe that at all. And neither should you. Any man worthy to be with you would be proud to have you

as a wife and companion." Angel pulled back a little and looked up at Bobby with a small smile. "Thank you." He smiled back at her,

kissing her forehead. "You are quite welcome."

* * *

Bobby held onto Angel a little longer, rocking back and forth, rubbing her back and telling her everything will be okay. When she finally

stopped crying, he stepped back, holding her at arm's length by the shoulders. "You okay?" Angel nodded. "Yeah." "Do you want me

to spend the night?" Angel bit her lip and looked at the floor. "I promise to keep it in my pants." Angel let out a small laugh. She looked

up at him and said, "Would you be mad if I said no?" "Not at all." He pulled her into his arms again and squeezed. She squeezed him

back. Angel let go of Bobby first. "Thank you for coming to my rescue." "Anytime." Angel turned and unlocked the door. She stepped

aside as he walked passed her. Bobby stopped and turned around to look at her one more time. "You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yep. I'm sure." "Make sure you lock up securely." "I will." "Good night, my beautiful Angel." She smiled and bounced on her toes.

"Good night, Handsome." Angel watched him walk to the Suburban and get in. He waved to her as he started it and pulled off. She

closed the door and locked it. She leaned her forehead against the door and smiled, grateful and thankful that Janelle didn't listen to her

after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's notes: Here's what everyone has been waiting for, I hope. Bobby and Angel FINALLY getting together. This chapter is rated M for language, nudity and violence. Don't say you ain't been warned. LOL. Adults doing adult things will be in the next chapter. LO:CI characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just taking them for a spin. All mistakes made are my own. Read, review, and enjoy!****

* * *

Wednesday, August 16**  
**Bobby's Apartment, 10: 46 p.m. **

Lewis and Rob were sitting in the living room, staring at Bobby as he paced back and forth like a caged tiger, muttering curses in 

various languages. Rob named off each language to Lewis. "German. Spanish. Yiddish. Korean. Chinese. I think that was French."

Bobby hadn't said much when he came back home after visiting Angel. All he had done was slam the door, throw the keys to Rob's

rental car on the counter, muttered he had filled it up, growled a hello at Lewis, and slammed his bedroom door. They heard him in his

room banging around. They were sure he had torn his room to pieces. When he emerged from his bedroom, Bobby was wearing a t-

shirt and shorts. He had been pacing ever since. "Is Angel okay?" Rob asked. Bobby stopped in mid pace and took a deep breath. He

rubbed at his face, then massaged his neck. "Yeah, she's okay. I think she was more upset by what Eden said than by the threat of

violence." "What did Eden say to her?" Bobby inhaled and exhaled a few times before saying, "Eden told her that she glad that Garvin,

Angel's late husband, was dead because she didn't deserve to be with him." "Oh my God! What kind of person says something like

that?" "An evil person," Lewis said. Bobby nodded and started pacing again.

* * *

Rob asked Bobby, "Are you okay?" Bobby stopped pacing again and sighed. "Yeah. I'd better be because I think it'll just get crazier

from here on out." He threw himself into the recliner and sighed. "Let's talk about something else." He asked Lewis, "You staying over

tonight?" Lewis nodded. "Rob said we need to figure out what we're going to do Friday night before you disappear with Alannah."

Bobby narrowed his eyes at Rob, who just gave him his best "I'm innocent" look. Lewis said, "Tell me about this club we're going to."

"It's called Club Silkie's," Rob said. "I went there about 6 years ago. I had a good time. You have to be at least 28 to get in. They

mostly play old school R&B, pop, soul, hip-hop, etc. Every now and then, the DJ will slip in something current. Friday nights are

Flashback Fridays. They have a live band every third Friday of the month." "Sounds fun. What time does Angel go on?" "The website

said she's suppose to go on at 10:00. I thought we'd try to get there by 9:00 to get a good table. Are you bringing Lola?"

* * *

Lewis shook his head. "I think the raven haired beauty and I are not a good match." Bobby and Rob looked at each other. "Uh,

what…what happened, Lewis?" Bobby asked. "Oh, she started talking about marriage and children within the first hour of coming over

to my place. Alas, I knew then she and I were not meant to be. Besides, I'm saving myself." "You're saving yourself? For who? Alex?"

"Yes." Bobby laughed and shook his head at Lewis' one track mind. "You gotta like his persistence," Rob said. "You're just jealous

because I saw her first. Admit it." Rob rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at the T.V. Bobby yawned and stretched. He got up

and said, "I'm off to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning." Rob and Lewis told him goodnight, then renewed their earlier debate about

Rob getting Alex to go out with Lewis. Bobby just chuckled and walked off to his bedroom.**

* * *

Thursday, August 17**  
**Eddie's Diner, 6:55 a.m.  
**

"She kicked her?" Alex asked. "Yeah," Bobby replied. Alex had picked him up early, so that they could eat breakfast again at the new

diner. Bobby had just finished telling her the details of what had happened at the club between Angel and Eden. "According to what

was told to Janelle, Angel was on stage and kicked Eden in the shoulder so hard, she flew across the floor." "Wow. What did Eden

do?" "She pulled out a switchblade to attack Angel, but was stopped by security guards. She and Eric were escorted out by them."

"Wait a minute. If there were security guards there, how did they get passed them?" "Eden performed an oral service on one of the

guards to get in." Alex sighed, shaking her head. "Why am I not surprised." "Would you like some more coffee?" their server asked.

"Yes, thank you," Bobby said as he moved his cup nearer the server. Alex did the same thing. "Thanks." "You're welcome. Your

orders should be coming out in about 5 minutes."

* * *

When the server walked away, Bobby said, "Eden said some very hurtful things to Angel." "What'd she say?" "She told Angel that she

was glad Garvin was dead because she didn't deserve to be his wife. Eden said she would have been a better wife to Garvin." Alex sat

there in silence, shocked by what Bobby just told her. "Geez, is there no end to Eden's hatefulness? No one should ever say that to

anyone. Ever!" Bobby nodded in agreement. "Is Angel alright?" "Yeah, she is. I went by her house last night after Janelle called me to

check up on her. I just held her a little bit and left." Alex raised an eyebrow. "You didn't stay?" Bobby looked down at his coffee. "I

offered to stay, but she turned me down." "Oh." Bobby looked up at Alex. "It…it wouldn't have been like that, you know." "I know,"

she said with a smile.

* * *

Bobby's cell phone beeped. He took it out of his pocket and flipped it open to read the text message. "Angel's gone to Tennessee to

visit Garvin's grave. She'll be back tonight." Alex said, "If I'm not mistaken, I think her parents' pilot friend lives up here. That's how

she and Garvin were able to come up here with Janelle and Drew if they couldn't catch a commercial flight." Bobby closed his phone

and put back in his pocket. "I think it'll do her some good to visit his grave. It'll help ease her mind." _"I just hope she comes back _

_home here to me," _he thought. "Uh, Rob, Lewis and I are going to go watch Angel perform Friday night. You want to go with us?"

"I'd like that. I've only heard her sing 'Amazing Grace.'" "I guess I'd better tell you now that Lewis will probably try to dance with you

at least 2 times. Just let him down gently when he asks you a third time." Alex laughed. "Okay. I'll do my best." "I wouldn't ask for

anything less."**

* * *

Friday, August 18  
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 10:00 a.m.**

"Everyone please rise while the family processions in," said the undertaker who was standing in the front of the church. Detectives

Goren and Eames, along with the other funeral goers stood up as 6 preachers came down the aisle, one of them reading Psalms 23,

followed by DeMarco Anderson's family. Once the processional group had passed by the casket to view the body and been seated,

the preacher who had read Psalms 23 said into the pulpit microphone, "You all may be seated." The funeral goers sat down. Bobby

and Alex were sitting in the 3rd row from the back of the church, at the end nearest the wall. They had the whole pew to themselves.

They decided to come stake out the family visitation hour to see who would show up and what, if anything, would happen. They

watched with interest as different people went up to offer their condolences to the family. Most of the people would hug either Sasha

and Celena or DeMarco's parents and shake the rest of the family's hands except for Eden and Eric. They would either just barely

acknowledge their existence or avoid them altogether. Alex leaned over to Bobby and whispered, "You see that? I've counted 50

people so far who have gone up there. Only 2 people shook the twins' hands." "Yeah. I see. It seems that Eric and Eden have no allies

at all. Only people consoling them are their parents." "How much you wanna bet she's shedding nothing but crocodile tears anyway?"

* * *

They continued watching the people as they came inside the church. Alex nudged Bobby and said, "See this couple coming in? That's 

Janelle's parents, Loretta and Eddie Lee." Loretta Hamilton was 5 foot 3, slightly overweight with medium brown skin and salt and

pepper hair that was cut into a bob. Eddie Lee was 5 foot 8, slim, a shade lighter than his wife with gray hair. Bobby watched as they

made their way to the front. They stopped at the casket first. Loretta kissed DeMarco's cold forehead. Mary Frances got up and

hugged her. They clung to each other for a while before Loretta helped her back to her seat. While Bobby was watching the scene

unfold in front of him, Alex nudged him again. "That's Garvin's mom. The woman with her is his older sister." 2 slender women with

dark brown skin walked down the aisle together, arm in arm. Mary Frances and Loretta both got up as soon as they saw the older of

the 2 women. They all hugged each other. "Looks like a family reunion of sorts," Bobby said. Alex nodded. "The death of a child

seems to bring everyone together."

* * *

Next came in Janelle's brother, Jayson and his wife, Tonya followed by 2 teenagers, a boy and a girl. "The teenagers belong to

Jayson?" Bobby asked. "Yeah. The boy is his from a previous relationship. His birth mother died when he was 1. The girl is hers.

They've got 3 more kids at home." "I need to hang out with you more often. You know so many people." Alex just smiled. "You'd

know all this information, too, if you would hang out with the Eames family more often." Drew and Janelle came in with a older

gentleman. Bobby noticed the resemblance Drew had to the man. "Is that Drew's dad?" "Yeah. His name's Benjamin." "Where's

Drew's mom?" "She died about 7 years ago from breast cancer." "Oh." They had stopped in the middle of the aisle because Mr.

Spencer had stopped to talk to someone who was seated in a pew. Janelle turned her head towards Bobby and Alex. She smiled at

them and waved. They waved back. She tugged at Drew's sleeve to get his attention. She pointed out the detectives to him. He smiled

and nodded his head at them.

* * *

Alex and Bobby watched as the trio made their way to the front. Eden stood and sneered at Janelle and Drew. Janelle stepped to Eden

and stood toe to toe with her, sneering back at her. Mary Frances and Loretta took a hold of their respective child and pulled them

apart. Drew took his wife by the elbow and led her away to sit down. Alex smiled to herself as she heard someone whisper, "Beat her

ass, Janelle." "Has Janelle always been that confrontational?" Bobby asked. "I wouldn't say confrontational," Alex replied. "She's very

protective of her friends and family and not afraid to show it or do something about it." Bobby watched Jayson and Janelle with

fascination. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but it appeared Jayson was trying to scold Janelle for almost causing a scene.

The look on her face told him that she didn't care. The way Jayson threw up his hands, it appeared he got Janelle's message loud and

clear. "Well, look who crawled out from under his rock," Alex said.

* * *

Bobby turned his head and watched David Brewster walk down the aisle. Brewster went to the casket and looked at DeMarco's

lifeless body, shaking his head. Then he turned to the family and started shaking their hands. When he got to Eden, she had stood up

and hugged him. Then she kissed him on the mouth, slipping him her tongue for a brief second. "Ugh. I think I'm gonna be sick," Alex

said, scowling at the friendly exchange between Brewster and Eden. Brewster let Eden go and hugged Eric. Eric shifted down to make

room for Brewster to sit next to Eden. Lynnette rolled her eyes and punched Eric in the arm before shifting closer to her husband.

"Well, now that's interesting," Bobby said. "What is?" Bobby pointed his head towards Drew and Jayson. Jayson leaned over to

Drew, whispering in his ear and pointing at Brewster. Drew just nodded. Jayson sat back in the pew, staring at the back of Brewster's

head.

* * *

"You get the feeling what happened Wednesday night is not setting too well with them?" Bobby asked. Alex nodded. "Looks like

they're making sure they have the right person before putting a beat down on him." "You think they'd do that here?" "With the way

things have been happening in this case, I wouldn't doubt it. I also wouldn't be too surprised if they weren't packing a weapon of some

kind." Bobby glanced up at the clock hanging above the doors. It said 10:30. He turned back around to continue watching the people

as they filed in. "I wonder where Angel is," he said aloud. "I was wondering the same thing."

* * *

As if on cue, Angel walked into the church. She was wearing a simple black semi-loosing fitting tank dress, black strappy sandals with

2 inch chunky heels, with her hair pinned up by a banana clip. Alex and Bobby both let out a sigh of relief upon seeing her. Angel

stopped at the end of their pew, looking around. When she saw them, she smiled and waved at them; they returned the gesture. A

woman wearing a 2 piece black dress suit, with the same hair and skin color as Angel came up behind her and put her hand on her

shoulder. "Mami, mira," she said, pointing with her chin at Bobby and Alex. The woman turned her head and looked at them. "Oh my

God!" Alex exclaimed. "That's…that's.." "Angel's mom," Bobby said in awe. He was amazed at how much Angel looked like her

mom, especially with those sparkling gray eyes.

* * *

Laurel Pierson smiled at them. She noticed they seemed to be in a bit of a daze as they smiled back at her. She leaned towards Angel

and said, "Uh, they seem to be in shock. Is there something gross on my face?" Angel looked at her face and shook her head. "I don't

see anything." Laurel noticed that Angel had started playing with her necklace. "So, that's Bobby, huh?" "Yeah, that's him." She

looked at Bobby for a minute before saying, "He's very handsome, mi hija. He has kind eyes." Angel just smiled. "Yeah, he does."

"Come on, Baby Girl," Laurel said. "Let's go pay our respects." Bobby and Alex watched as mother and daughter went down to the

front of the church. As they made their way down the aisle, there were whispered exclamations of "Mama Laurel's here" or "Baby

Girl's here." They smiled and waved at everyone they passed. Angel hugged her former in-laws tightly and talked with them a little bit,

while Drew and Janelle pulled Laurel into a group hug.

* * *

When Angel had reached her mom and best friends, Bobby watched Janelle whisper something into Angel's ear while looking at him.

Angel briefly glanced back at him. Then she smiled mysteriously and patted Janelle's shoulder. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Janelle's just probably trying to get the juicy details of what happened between you two the other night," Alex answered. "Oh. There's

nothing to tell." "Try telling that to Janelle's overactive imagination." Angel and Laurel, followed by Drew, headed towards the casket.

They stood there and looked at DeMarco. When Brewster saw them, he took Eden's arm from around his shoulders. He ran his

fingers through his hair as he stared at their butts. He got up to go stand next them, but Drew blocked his path. Drew leaned towards

Brewster, whispering in his ear while pointing out Jayson. Brewster looked around at him, then put up his hands. He flashed a toothy

smile at Drew and sat back down. Eden gave Drew a stony stare while she put her arm around Brewster's shoulders again as if to

protect him. Drew shrugged and walked back to his seat. Bobby and Alex looked at each other. "Beat down," they said in unison.

* * *

As Angel and Laurel began shaking hands with and speaking to the family, Eden stared at Angel, fists clenched. When Angel got near

her, she stood up and got in her face, giving her the usual up and down disdainful sneer. Alex saw Drew put his hand on Janelle's

shoulder to keep her from getting up. Angel just stared back at her. Eden clenched her right fist even tighter, getting ready to hit her

when Brewster grabbed tightly onto her wrist and shook his head. Eden sniffed at loudly at Angel and sat down. Brewster waggled his

finger and shook his head at Eden, scolding her like a little kid. Angel just rolled her eyes and walked off to sit next to Drew and

Janelle. Laurel extended her hand to Eden, which surprised the hell out of Bobby and Alex and everybody in the church. Laurel cocked

her head to the side as she checked out Eden's new look. "Interesting," she said. She let go of Eden's hand and shook Brewster's

hand. He made an attempt to get up and hug her, but Laurel stepped away from him, holding up her hand. "Smart lady," Alex said.

Laurel shook Eric's hand, gave Lynnette and David each a hug before going to sit down next to Angel.

* * *

Angel looked over her shoulder at Bobby. He silently mouthed, "You okay?" to her. She smiled and nodded. He smiled back. She

turned back around when Drew tapped her shoulder. Bobby let out a small sigh. He was glad to see her and her smile. He was

especially glad to see that Eden's hurtful words didn't seem to scar her spirit. At precisely 11:00 o'clock, the undertakers closed

DeMarco's casket and the ushers passed out the programs. Alex and Bobby read DeMarco's brief life history. "Look," Alex said.

"Angel and her mom are going to do a duet." "I didn't know her mom could sing, too."

* * *

Laurel and Angel got up and sang "His Eye is on the Sparrow" before the preacher was to do the eulogy. There wasn't a dry eye in the

place. Bobby glanced over at Alex. She sniffed as she held back the tears in her eyes. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his

handkerchief and handed it to her. "Thanks," she whispered as she dabbed at her eyes. "You're welcome." Bobby couldn't get over

how much Angel looked like her mom. The only real difference between them was their hairstyles, Laurel sported a pixy cut while

Angel's hair was at her shoulders, and their height. Bobby guessed that Laurel was at least an inch shorter than Angel without heels.

What he really wondered was what Angel had told her about him. All sorts of questions ran through his mind: Does she care about my

age? Does what I do for a living bother her? Will she freak out when she learns about my family history of schizophrenia? Does the

color of my skin matter to her? That last question hit him hard. Bobby hadn't thought about that. Actually, it had never occurred to him

to look at Angel in terms of her skin color. He just knew Angel was a beautiful person, inside and outside, who tries to love and help

her fellow human beings. Bobby was shook out of his thoughts by people loudly saying "Amen" after Angel and Laurel had finished

their song and sat down. He sighed as thought to himself, _"Well, the only way to get a feel for her is to meet her."_**

* * *

Friday August 18  
Saint John's Cemetery, 1:20**

Alex and Bobby had followed the funeral procession to the cemetery. They parked away from everyone so that they could still observe

them. DeMarco's immediate family was seated in the chairs next to the grave. Eden made Lynnette's husband stand so that David

Brewster could sit next to her. Mary Frances started sobbing loudly as the preacher recited the commitment rites and DeMarco's

casket was lowered into the ground. Albert put his arms around her to comfort her. She repeated, "My baby's gone," over and over

again. Eden started crying herself, her sobs even louder than her mother's. Brewster put a comforting arm around her and rocked her.

"Oh, please! Give me a break!" Alex said. "Eden's putting on a great show," Bobby said. "She could win an award for best crying

scene." Alex snorted. "You going to go talk to them?" she asked. "Them who?" "Angel and her mother." Bobby looked over at them.

They were standing with the other funeral goers behind the family. He shrugged. "Hadn't thought about it." "Liar." Bobby looked at

Alex, a wry grin on his face. "That obvious, huh?" "Yeah. I'd say so."

* * *

As soon as the commitment service was over, everyone started talking and going their separate ways. Some people still consoled the

family as they made their way to the limos provided by the funeral home. Drew, Janelle, Jayson and Tonya had stayed behind at the

church to help out with feeding the family after the burial. "I'm going to speak to Mary Frances and Loretta and everybody before we

leave for the airport," Laurel said to Angel. "Oh, okay. Aggie Jane parked the car back over here somewhere," she replied, referring to

Laurel's pilot friend. "I'm gonna head to the car and wait for y'all there." Laurel nodded and walked off towards Mary Frances.

Brewster watched as Angel headed off by herself. He was leaning against the limo while Eden leaned against him, her face on his

shoulder. She had unzipped his pants and was rubbing on his penis. She looked up at him and purred, "You like that?" He smiled. "Of

course. It'll be even better when your lips get on there." They laughed. When Brewster had looked off, she looked to see what he was

looking at. She sneered, then pouted. "I don't see why you like her. Good girls are boring." "I don't care if she's boring. I just want to

fuck her mouth a few times. Maybe get at her pussy, too." "She ain't gonna fuck you." "Who said she had to be willing?" Eden smiled

at that. She moved out of the way as Brewster zipped up his pants and headed towards Angel.

* * *

Angel was by herself, walking to the car. Her cell phone buzzed in her hand. She stopped and opened it to read the text message. It

was from Silkie, asking her what time was she coming to the club. She replied back and closed the phone. She yelped as she felt

someone pinch her butt. Angel turned and saw it was Brewster, leering at her. "What's up, Baby Girl?" She shuddered at the way he

said her nickname. It sounded dirty coming out of his mouth. "It's Mrs. St. John to you." He chuckled. "Mrs. St. John then. Let me cut

to the chase. How about I take you behind this car so you can suck me off?" Angel gave him a disgusted look as she took a step back.

"Not even in my worst nightmare." Brewster moved quickly and grabbed her tightly by the wrist. "As you wish," he hissed. Angel

kicked him in the shin as she struggled to free herself from his grip. He tightened his hold on her and pulled her close to him. "Feisty

women make me so hard!"

* * *

Brewster was trying to drag Angel from where she was standing when his free arm was twisted up behind his back and Bobby's voice

in his ear, saying, "Mr. Brewster, what a pleasant surprise!" Brewster let go of Angel as Bobby slammed him onto the hood of the car.

Alex stepped up to Angel, rubbing her arm. "Are you okay, Miss?" she asked. Angel nodded her head quickly, breathing in and out to

catch her breath. "Yes, ma'am. I'm fine." Bobby handcuffed Brewster, then pulled him up off the hood and spun him around to face

him to Mirandize him. "There's…there's been some kind of mistake. We...we were just having a simple discussion is all." "Yeah,

right," Bobby said as he handed Brewster off to the 2 plainclothes officers who had showed up to relieve him and Alex. Alex turned to

Angel and said, "We'll need you to come downtown to press charges." "Okay."

* * *

Laurel walked up to Angel and hugged her as soon as Brewster was taken away. She had seen part of what happened. She stepped

back to look at her only daughter. "Baby Girl, are you okay?" Angel looked down at the ground and nodded. Laurel turned to look at

Alex and Bobby. "I'm Laurel Pierson, Angel's mother," she said as she offered her hand to Alex. "I'm Detective Alex Eames. This is

my partner Detective Robert Goren." Laurel smiled at Bobby as she shook his hand. She let go of his hand and wrapped an arm

around Angel. They all stood there in awkward silence for about 20 seconds. Alex broke the silence by saying, "We'll need Angel to

come downtown to press charges against Mr. Brewster." "I'll drop her off at the station before I head to the airport." Alex looked at

Bobby and said, "I'm going to see if Douglas and Carrington got our prisoner comfy." He nodded as she walked off.

* * *

When Alex was out of earshot, Laurel said to Bobby, "I'm sure this is not the way you wanted to meet me." Bobby let out a nervous

laugh. "I'm sure I could have thought of a better way." Laurel and Angel laughed at. He looked at Angel and said, "You okay?" "Yes,

I'm fine." They smiled at each other. Bobby ran his hand through his hair, then massaged his neck. "Um, I…I had better catch up with

my partner. Angel, I'll see you at the station." She nodded. He turned to Laurel and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you." "Same here,

Bobby." He looked surprised that Laurel used his nickname. He gave them a shy smile before walking off.

* * *

Laurel wrapped her arms sideways around Angel and kissed her temple. "He's a good man, mi hija. I expect you and him to give me at

least 4 grandbabies." Angel looked at her mother skeptically. "Mami, get a grip. I don't even know if he wants anything to do with me."

"I saw the way he looked at you. I heard the way he talked to you. Baby Girl, that man will choose you over any friend with benefits

any day. You've got to let your heart believe that." Angel shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know. We'll see."

Laurel sighed as she hugged Angel again. "Ay Dios mió! Of all my children, you're the only one who loves from the mind and the heart.

What am I gonna do with you?"**

* * *

Friday, August 18**  
**Major Case Squad Room, 7:15 p.m.**

"Well," Alex said as she hung up the phone. "Eden and Eric gave our guys the slip after they left the church and Brewster had one of his

honeys come and bail him out of jail." "Of course, he's out on bail. When is his court date?" Bobby asked. "30 days from today. He's

probably going to hook up with Eden somewhere. Man, I wish we had some kind of hard evidence to bring her and Eric in on."

"Patience, Grasshopper. They'll slip up some way and we'll be there to catch them." Alex balled up a piece of paper and threw it at

Bobby. Captain Ross came out of his office. He stopped by their desks before heading home. "Detective Goren, I just wanted to wish

you happy birthday. Make sure you two go home at a decent hour." Bobby answered, "Uh, uh, thank you, sir. We will try." Ross tilted

his head at them and walked out. Bobby laid his pen down and folded his arms across his chest. "Damn! Does this mean I have to be

nice to him since he acknowledged my birthday?" Alex shrugged. "At least be courteous to him for a day or two." Bobby just shook

his head as he picked up his pen and started writing again.

* * *

About 30 minutes later, Rob and Lewis showed up. Lewis sat down in the chair next to Alex's desk. "Hi, Detective Alex," he said

dreamily. Alex rolled her eyes and laughed. "Hey, Lewis." Rob sat down in the chair next to Bobby's desk. "Here you go, Bobby," he

said, handing him a medium sized gym bag. "Thanks, man." He set it on the floor next to his feet. Bobby opened his bottom desk

drawer and took out the dark blue bag from Rossi's and placed it in a side pocket of the gym bag. "You guys almost done?" Rob

asked. "I am," Alex said. She had placed some papers into a file folder and laid it in her out box. Lewis sat there watching her every

move. "Let me finish typing this last paragraph," Bobby said. When he was finished typing, he powered down his computer.

* * *

Logan and Wheeler came in as Bobby had shut down his computer. "Hey, Eames. Hey, Goren," Logan said as he stopped. Megan

stopped next to him. "Hey, guys." Alex and Bobby told them hey in unison. Bobby said, "Rob, Lewis. I'd like for you to meet

Detective Mike Logan and his partner, Detective Megan Wheeler. Logan and Wheeler, these are my friends Lewis and Rob." "Pleased

to meet you," Logan said as he shook Lewis' hand. "Same here." He threw up his hand at Rob. Rob threw up his hand back at him.

Megan shook Lewis' hand, then made her way to Rob to shake his hand. He stood up when she got to him. Alex and Bobby noticed

Megan blushed a little as Rob smiled at her. They looked at each other, eyebrows raised. After Rob and Megan finished shaking

hands, Bobby said, "Um, we're going to Club Silkie's tonight to watch Angelica St. John perform. You two wanna join us?" "I'd like

to go. I haven't heard her sing in awhile," Wheeler said. Logan looked skeptical. "Club Silkie's? I don't know. That's where the grown

and sexy people hang out at. You have to be at least 28 to get in there. I don't think Wheeler is old enough to get in there to hang out

with grown and sexy people." Everyone but Megan snickered at Mike's statement. "Oh, ha ha ha," she said dryly. Mike smiled and

said, "Sure. I'm in." Bobby grabbed the gym bag and stood up. "Well, I'm going to change clothes and then we can head out." He

took off for the locker room.**

* * *

Friday, August 18**  
**Club Silkie's, 8:30 p.m.**

"Hi! Welcome to Club Silkie's!" said the petite brown skinned woman standing behind the counter. "Hi!" Rob said. "How many

people in your party?" "There's 6 of us." He pointed out his group to her. As she looked at them, she said, "Logan?" Mike turned at

the sound of his name. "Tamera?" "Oh my gosh! Mikey!" She came from behind the counter and walked up to Logan. Mike lifted her

off the ground as he hugged her. He set her back down and smiled at her. "You look great, Tam!" She playfully swatted at him. "So do

you! You just getting back from Staten Island?" "Uh, well. I've been back for a while." Tamera crossed her arms. "Oh really? And you

didn't bother to let a sister know?" "I'll make it up to you." "You better!" As she was going back to the counter, she stopped and

looked at Alex and Bobby. She reached behind the counter and picked up 2 pictures. She walked back to them and held up the

pictures for them to see. It was pictures of Bobby and Alex, taken when they had entered Computer City by the security camera.

"Robert Goren?" she asked. Bobby nodded. "Alex Eames?" Alex nodded. "Oh, well. You guys are already taken care of and have a

table. Follow me."

* * *

Tamera placed the pictures back on the counter and motioned for someone to take her place. Bobby and Alex looked at each other in

confusion. "Did you call ahead?" Alex asked. Bobby shook his head. "Did…did you?" Alex shook her head. He looked at Rob. Rob

shook his head as well. "Wasn't me." The group followed Tamera inside of the club. She led them to a large table that was up front

next to the dance floor. They had a perfect view of the stage. A metal card holder was in the center of the table with a white card in it

that read, "Reserved for the Spencers." "Here's your table," Tamera said. Alex smiled as she read the card. "Of course, we'd have a

table." Janelle and Drew came off the dance floor when they saw Alex and Bobby standing at their table. "Alex!" Janelle said as she

approached her with her arms open. They hugged. "My turn," Drew said, playfully nudging his wife out of the way. Alex laughed as

Drew leaned down to hug her. Janelle approached Bobby, putting her arms around his neck. Bobby hugged her back. "Thank you for

rescuing my sister," she whispered in his ear. She stepped back and smiled at him. Bobby smiled back at her.

* * *

Janelle turned to Alex and said, "I knew you guys would show up. I'm glad you came!" "I wouldn't have missed Angel performing

tonight," Alex replied. "I've only heard her sing twice and that was at funerals." Janelle nodded, then waved her hand at the rest of the

group. "Aight, introduce me to your posse." Alex pointed at each person as she spoke. "These are our fellow detectives, Mike Logan

and Megan Wheeler. These are Bobby's friends, Rob Duncan and Lewis. Everybody, this Janelle and Drew Spencer." Everyone went

around shaking hands. When she shook Mike's hand, Janelle said to Tamera, who standing off to the side of him, "So, this is your

Logan, huh?" Tamera nodded. Janelle looked him in the face, then back at Tamera and said, "He's cute." Tamera laughed at Mike as

he shook his head. The opening notes of Cameo's "Candy" started playing. Tamera grabbed Mike by the hand and said to the group,

"Let's go. Y'all have to dance at least once upon entering the club. It's an unwritten mandatory rule." Mike was hesitant about going on

the dance floor, but Tamera kept pulling at him. Janelle and Drew were already on the dance floor. Tamera tapped one of the servers

on the shoulder to get her attention. "Lena, dance with the big guy over there," she said pointing at Bobby. "Cool." She placed her tray

on the group's table and offered her hand to Bobby, who gladly took it and led her to the dance floor. Rob offered his arm to Megan.

"Shall we?" he asked. "Sure," she answered, putting arm through his. Lewis held out his hand to Alex. "Please, Detective Alex?" He

batted his eyes at her. Alex chuckled, then shrugged. "Ah, what the hell!" She took his hand, leading him to the dance floor.

* * *

At 9:55 p.m., Tamera came out on the stage when the DJ had stopped playing music. The band members came out after her, taking the

respective places. She said, "Ladies and gentlemen, show some love for DJ Nicky Quicksilver!" The audience clapped and cheered as

he took a bow before leaving his perch. "Thank you, Quicksilver, for spinning the records for us tonight. Are y'all having fun?" More

cheers, clapping and whistles erupted from the crowd. "That's good. That's good. I'd like to welcome all of you to Club Silkie's. The

only place where the grown and sexy people hang out and have a good time. As you all know, every 3rd Friday, we have live music.

Tonight, I promise you will not be disappointed. Please put your hands for one of our favorite performers, the one and only, Angelica

St. John!" The band started playing the opening notes of "The Comfort Zone" as the whole place went crazy when Angel stepped from

behind the curtain. Tamera stayed on the stage long enough for Angel to give her a quick hug before stepping off. Angel smiled and

waved to the crowd before starting to sing. She was wearing a white t-shirt that had long sheer sleeves, dark denim jeans, white K-

Swiss shoes with blue shoelaces. A white derby hat topped off her look. As she was singing, she looked down at Janelle and Drew's

table. She was pleasantly surprised to see Alex and Bobby sitting there with some friends of theirs. _"Oh, great," _she thought, _"I'm _

_going to be cooking for a whole week."_

* * *

Angel performed for an hour and a half. When they finished, she and the band members went backstage. About 20 minutes later, Angel

made her way to Janelle's table. "You were great!" Janelle said, giving Angel a big squeeze. "Thank you." Drew kissed her on the

cheek. "Great job, Baby Girl! Great job!" Angel smiled and thanked him. Alex made her way to her and gave her a quick hug. "Wow!

I'm truly impressed!" "Thanks, Alex!" Angel turned to Bobby. He pulled her into his arms and squeezed. He stepped back and smiled

at her. "You were wonderful, Angel." "Thanks." They locked eyes for a minute before Angel started blushing. Finally she said, "You

gonna introduce me to your friends?" "Uh...uh, yeah," Bobby said. He pointed to everyone as he introduced them to Angel. She shook

everyone's hand and thanked them for coming out. Angel took Bobby's hand and said, "Well, if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna take

this guy out on the dance floor." "Don't hurt him too much," Rob called out to her as they hit the dance floor. He turned to the group

and said, "There goes Bobby Goren, the smoothest cat daddy alive."

* * *

When the DJ started to play a slow song, Bobby put his arms around Angel's waist. She placed her hands on his chest. She looked up

at him and smiled. "You having a good time?" she asked. He nodded. "This is a great start to wonderful birthday weekend." "I'm glad

to kick start it with you." Bobby looked deep into her eyes, a troubled look on his face. Angel had seen that look before. She touched

his cheek and asked, "What's wrong, Bobby?" He inhaled deeply and then exhaled. "I…I want you to want me." There he said it. The

one thing that had been on his mind ever since she had come back into his life. Angel bit her lip as she glanced off. She looked back at

him and said, "What makes you think I don't?" Bobby shrugged. "I just didn't want to seem like I ….I was trying to push you into

something you weren't ready for." Angel sighed. "If you want to, you can spend a little time with me before uh, other things happen,"

she said softly. Bobby moved his head to put his lips near her ear. "What if I want to spend all my time with you?" he said huskily.

Angel gasped. "That…that would be fine, too." He put his forehead on hers and smiled. "I'd like that a whole lot."**

* * *

Saturday, August 19**  
**Angel's home, 2:45 a.m.**

"Bienvenido a mi casa," Angel said as Bobby walked through the front door. He carried the medium size gym bag and a suit carrier

with 2 suits in it. Angel caught a ride home with him, Rob and Lewis after leaving the club. Bobby waited while she locked the door and

set the security alarm. She reached for the gym bag in Bobby's hand, but he moved it out of her reach. "Angel, I can carry it." Angel

sighed. "I'm used to carrying my guests' bags for them. It's a habit." Bobby chuckled. "Okay. I accept your habit. Just show me where

to put my stuff." "Follow me." Bobby followed Angel down the hall to her room. "You have a very nice room," he said as he looked

around at the royal blue and gold Oriental motif of the room. "Thank you. You can hang your suits up behind the door." Bobby

dropped the bag in front of the closet, then hung up his suits. Angel took off her shoes without untying them and tossed them near the

closet. She put her arms around Bobby's waist, laying her head on his chest. He put his arms around her. "You okay?" he asked. She

nodded. "What are you thinking about?" "Nothing really. Just glad that you're here." Bobby gave her a quick squeeze. He let her go

and put his hands on her shoulders. "Uh, do you mind if get myself some water?" Angel shook her head. "Help yourself. There's some

bottled water in the fridge." He kissed her forehead and walked out of the door.

* * *

By the time Bobby came back, Angel was in the shower. He set his water on the dresser and went into the bathroom. He leaned

against the wall as he pushed the fabric shower curtain aside. He stared at Angel through the clear see through shower liner. She was

facing the shower head, the water hitting her face, with her hands on her shoulders wearing a purple shower cap. She was just standing

there, eyes closed, not moving a muscle, letting the warm water relax her. Bobby watched the water droplets roll down her body. He

watched one water droplet roll from her shoulder, down her back and over her butt. _"What a lucky drop of water," _he thought. He

watched another droplet flow over her breasts down to her stomach. He noticed that she was nicely trimmed down there. He smiled to

himself, shaking his head. Angel opened her eyes and looked at him. "Why are you shaking your head?" she asked, knowing the

answer. Bobby shrugged. "Just am." "You can come in if you like." "I think I will."

* * *

Bobby shed off his clothes and stepped in the shower with Angel. He got behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned

back into him, her arms across her chest. He planted small kisses on her shoulder and the side of her neck. He gave her a squeeze as

he sighed, putting his lips near her ear. "I've missed this," he said. She smiled and nodded. "I didn't realize how much I missed you until

I saw you walk through that door on Monday." Angel moved her head to look up at Bobby. "I've missed you, too. I hope you know

that." "I do, Angelica. I do." He leaned down and claimed Angel's mouth with his mouth to prove to her that he knew exactly how

much she missed him.

* * *

Oh, just in case anybody's wondering, you can check out my profile for a preview of what's coming up for the next chapter. Peace.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's notes: This chapter is rated M for adults doing adult things a.k.a smut. I repeat: this chapter is RATED M. So if the language contained within is going to offend you, don't read it. You have been warned. LOL For those of you who do read this chapter, I apologize if the sex scene is not very good. It's difficult trying to get positions right. LOL. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)****

* * *

Saturday, August 19  
****Spencer Residence 3:16 a.m.**

Janelle sighed as she snuggled up to Drew in bed, her head on his chest. "Man, I had great time," she said. "Yep. Me, too. Angel

sang her ass off last night, didn't she?" Janelle chuckled. "Yeah, she sure did. Did you see how she and Bobby got down with that

cha-cha on "Oye Como Va?" He can move pretty well for a big guy." Drew grunted. "You should have heard them dudes at the

table behind us. I heard one of them say, 'Dammit! That big mofo is fucking everything up for the rest of us who can't dance!'"

They both laughed. "You wanna hang out with Angel and Bobby tonight? To celebrate her successful performance?" she asked.

Drew shrugged. "Yeah, we can. Where do you want to go?" "How about that Japanese place Silkie told us about? I think it's

called Sakura." "Okay. That sounds like a good idea." "Maybe we can go to Dave and Buster's afterwards?" she asked hopefully.

Drew gave Janelle a skeptical look. "You ain't fooling nobody. You just wanna go to Dave and Buster's so you can try to beat me

on one of those racing games." "Who? Me? Nah. You got me mixed up with somebody else." "Yeah, right," he said sarcastically.

Janelle sucked her teeth. "Whatever, dude." Drew just laughed.

* * *

"Did you listen to that voicemail message Mr. Fisher left at the shop?" Drew asked. "Yeah, I did. He said that he was going to be

reading DeMarco's will at DeMarco's house at 2:00 this afternoon." "He wanted us and Angel to be there, right?" Janelle nodded.

"I told Angel that the will was going to be read today, but I didn't tell her what time. She needs to have as much space as possible

between her and the Wonder Twins and Brewster." "She didn't express an interest in wanting to go?" "Not really. I'll just tell Mr.

Fisher that she couldn't make it." Drew sighed. "What do you think DeMarco left us?" Janelle shrugged. "I can't think of anything

he'd leave to us. Honestly, I hope he didn't leave us anything. That'll mean one less ass whupping I'd have to give Queen Bitch to

make her keep her hands off my shit." "Hmmph. Ain't that the truth. You think Brewster is actually going to come to the will

reading?" "The way Eden was hugging on him at the funeral, you'd think she was married to the jackass. If he doesn't show up at

the will reading, I'll be totally shocked."

* * *

"What do you think of Bobby?" Janelle asked. "He's okay, I guess. He seems to be a cool guy." "Do you think he's right for Angel?"

Drew shrugged. "That's not for anybody to decide but Angel. Why you say that anyway? Don't you like him?" "I like him. I think

he's got a good personality. I know Mama Laurel likes him. Angel said that her mama wants them to have at least 4 kids." He sighed

heavily. "At LEAST 4 kids? Oh, Lord. Does her daddy and brothers know about this man?" "You know they do. Shit, I'm surprised

Daddy Charles didn't come up here to the funeral so he could interrogate Bobby before he left." "Well, you know when they find out

about what happened to Angel after the funeral, Daddy Charles is gonna try to make her move back to Nashville." Janelle frowned.

"I hope not." Drew hugged her as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm just saying don't be too surprised when it does happen." Janelle

sighed as she snuggled even closer to her husband. "Well, I know my girl. She'll hold her ground. Good night, sweetie." "Yeah, I

know she will. Good night, babe."**

* * *

Saturday, August 19  
****Angel's home, 7:05 a.m.**

Bobby was laying in the bed, his arms wrapped around Angel in a spooning position when his cell phone rang. He cautiously opened

one eye, then the other. _"Who in the hell could this be?" _he thought to himself. He reached behind him for the nightstand and

picked the phone up. He flipped it open and said drowsily, "Goren." "Hello, Robert. How are you?" the sultry female voice on the

other end said. He came awake instantly as soon as he recognized the voice. "Alannah, hi. I…I'm fine. Hold….hold on a sec, okay?"

"Okay." Bobby threw back the part of the quilt he was under. He carefully removed his arm out from under Angel's sleeping form

and got out of the bed. Bobby looked back to see if Angel was awake, but she wasn't. She was still laying on her side, her breathing

even and steady. He headed into the TV room, sitting down on the suede couch. He took a couple of deep breaths before putting the

phone back up to his ear.

* * *

"Sorry about that, Alannah," Bobby said. Alannah chuckled lightly. "That's okay. I called your home phone. Your friend Rob answered and told me you weren't there, so he gave me your cell number. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no. I don't mind."

"He sounds cute. Is he available?"

"Rob's divorced. As far as I know, he's not seeing anyone right now." "Ooo. Sounds like someone I'd be interested in getting to know better."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Happy birthday," he said. "Thank you, Robert. I meant to call you Friday evening to let you know I was back in town, but Chazen and I got a little carried away ringing my birthday in at midnight."

"That's okay. I had some other plans anyway. How is Chazen working out for you?"

"Eh, he's good. He hasn't quite mastered how to use his tongue on my clit like I taught you, but he's getting there."

Bobby heard a tiny buzzing sound in the background. Before he knew it, Alannah was softly moaning into the phone. "So, Robert, when can I expect to feel every inch of you inside of me?" _"Oh, shit!" _he thought as he looked down and saw himself becoming aroused. _"Okay, Bobby. Settle down. Don't let her distract you." _He cleared his throat and said, "I was thinking we should take a break from each other this year."

The buzzing stopped. "Hmm. That's a novel idea. May I ask who she is and would she be interested in a ménage a trios? Or perhaps a ménage a quad?"

"She's someone I met 2 years ago and I think she prefers her sex to be one on one rather than with a crowd."

"Oh, I see. A prude." Bobby chuckled. "I can guarantee you she's not a prude."

"Anyone not willing to share their sexual expertise or you with me is a prude. Anyway, how long of a break are we talking about?"

"I don't know. Indefinitely for the time being."

"Ah. The power of the pussy must be strong in that one."

Bobby found himself at a loss for words for a moment. "The power of the pu….it's not about that."

Alannah laughed lightly. "Of course it isn't with you, Robert. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. For now."

* * *

Bobby shook his head. For as long as he had known Alannah, he never understood why being in a stable monogamous relationship

bothered her so much. She had been married briefly in her late 20's before her husband Colin, who was in his early 50's and wealthy,

died from a massive heart attack. He had left her with enough money that she didn't have to ever work again if she wanted to.

Alannah had told Bobby once that Colin was her soul mate. Bobby guessed she was using sex as a way of covering up the pain of

losing a loved one.

* * *

"So, I won't get to see you at all this weekend?" Alannah asked. "I did get you a gift that you actually unwrap."

"Well, Alex and her family are throwing a birthday party for me on Sunday."

"You're letting your partner throw a party for you after all these years? I am truly amazed. Am I invited to this soiree?"

"As a matter of fact, you are. Alex said so."

"Well, well, well. Will wonders ever cease? I'd be honored to attend your party, Robert. Can I bring Chazen with me?"

"Yes, of course. I'll send you a text message with the time and Alex's parents' address."

"Thank you. Will SHE be there?"

Bobby hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I'm not really sure. We haven't talked about it."

The buzzing noise and Alannah's soft moans returned. "Well, if she doesn't make it to the party, perhaps I can take you to a private place and have my way with you after all."

"With all the people that will be there, I seriously doubt I'd go anyplace private with you." "Whatever," she said, not sounding the least bit fazed by Bobby's last comment.

* * *

Alannah's moans got louder. "Are you even naked?" she asked between moans.

"No, I'm not." Bobby was wearing a t-shirt and lounging pants.

"Now, see if you were here with me, I'd already have you naked and using that rock hard dick of yours to find my G-spot," she said huskily.

Bobby shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the image of Alannah riding on top him from his head. She let out a little laugh. "Admit it, Robert. You're so rock hard right now, you want to reach inside of your pants, pull out your dick and stroke it up and down, imagining me lightly licking the head of it."

Bobby looked down at his growing erection. He needed to end this conversation now before Alannah put any more suggestions into the head on his shoulders. "Alannah, I…I'm going to hang up now before things get too overheated."

Alannah chuckled. "Suit yourself, Robert. I'll see you Sunday. Goodbye." "Goodbye, Alannah."

* * *

Bobby closed the phone and placed it on the couch beside him. He put his hands over his face, stretching himself to his full height. He

took deep breaths to calm himself. _"Down, boy," _he thought. He shook his head again to clear the erotic image Alannah had planted

there. Bobby sat there, thinking. He knew he had 2 things to do before Sunday and they both had to do with Angel. One, he had to

tell her that Alannah would be at his party. And two, he had to convince her to come to the party.

* * *

The ringing of Bobby's cell phone had awaken Angel, but she pretended to still be asleep. When she heard him say 'Alannah,' her

heart began pounding quickly in her chest. That was the phone call she had hoped Bobby wouldn't receive this weekend. She

managed to keep her eyes closed when Bobby got out of the bed and left the bedroom. As soon as she heard him go down the hall,

Angel got up and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She stood in the mirror, looking at her reflection. She sniffed

as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. _"Well, at least you didn't have sex with him yet," _she thought. She sat down on the toilet

lid, her head in her hands, watching her teardrops hit the floor. "Yeah, he may have missed you, but not enough to want to stay here

with you," Angel said quietly to herself. "You don't have what it takes to make Bobby happy. You're not as worldly and as

sophisticated as Alannah. You're just simple and plain."

* * *

Angel took a deep breath, held it and then let it go. She got up and looked in the mirror again. Her eyes were red from crying. She

turned on the warm water as she reached for a washcloth. She wetted the cloth, wrung the water out of it and placed it on her face

for a few seconds. Angel turned the water off, hung up the wet washcloth and dried her face with a towel. She put some lotion on her

face and took a couple of deep breaths. She looked at herself in the mirror again. She practiced putting on a happy smile on her face,

while thinking to herself, _"Don't be too surprised if Bobby walks out of this house for someone better."_

* * *

Bobby sent the text message to Alannah as he had planned. He was heading back to Angel's bedroom when his phone beeped. He

opened it. Alannah had replied back with a naked picture of herself, laying on a bed playing with her clit. The caption under it said,

"You should be here." "Oh my God!" he exclaimed softly. Bobby deleted the picture as quickly as he could. When he walked into

the bedroom, he noticed that Angel was missing from the bed. He saw that the bathroom door was closed. Some sunlight was

peeking in through the blinds into the room, but Bobby turned on the nightstand lamp anyway. He put his phone on the nightstand

table. Just then the bathroom door opened. Angel emerged after turning off the light. "Good morning," he said. Angel stopped

suddenly short in front of the door. "Good morning," she said. She looked at Bobby briefly before casting her eyes down towards the

floor.

* * *

Angel fidgeted with her hands, repeatedly squeezing each finger individually and biting her lip. Bobby sighed softly as he went to sit

down at the foot of the bed. He was sitting directly in front of Angel, looking at her in her short light blue nightgown, wondering what

in the world he was going to say to her. Angel finally looked up at him and asked softly, "You want me to fix you some breakfast?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you." She looked back at the floor again. "Look at me, Angel. Please." Gray eyes locked with brown

eyes. Bobby noticed her eyes were slightly red. It could have been from a lack of sleep, but he knew better than that. The most

important thing he noticed was the look of fear and insecurity behind her eyes. The same look she had earlier in the week. "That was

Alannah on the phone." "Okay." "I told her that we should take a break from each other for a while." Angel just nodded. Bobby took

a deep breath and said, "She's coming to the party on Sunday." "Oh."

* * *

Bobby looked down at his hands. "I…I grew up watching my father come home, drunk and smelling like sex from all of his other

women. He and my mother would always argue about it. It seemed like he didn't give a rat's ass about her feelings. Or mine and my

brother's for that matter. As I got older and started getting interested in the opposite sex, I vowed to myself that I would be nothing

like my father. I would not disregard another person's feelings for me or hurt someone as viciously as he hurt my mother." Bobby

looked into Angel's eyes. "I didn't tell you about Alannah to…to make you think you had to compete with her or anything like that. I

told you about her because you are one of the very few people I felt I could tell I had a fuck buddy and not be judged as some kind

of weirdo or something. You… accept me and my…my quirks as a part of who I am. I strive to be honest in all of my relationships

with women. I hope you know that I'm nothing like my father. I don't want to be anything like him."

* * *

Bobby stood up and placed his hands on Angel's shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes and said, "I'm not going anywhere unless

you kick me out. You have nothing to fear." Angel gave him a small smile as she reached up and touched his cheek, stroking the

rough stubble that was there. "Okay," was all she said. Bobby closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened his eyes, Angel was still

looking at him. "What are you thinking?" he asked. She shook her head. "Nothing." He leaned down and kissed her, his tongue

exploring and caressing her mouth; her tongue doing the same thing to his mouth.

* * *

Bobby walked Angel back towards the wall space between the dresser and the bathroom. He pinned her against the wall by holding

onto her hips and leaning his body against hers. Her hands were on his chest. She softly moaned as he moved his mouth from her

mouth to her neck. Angel bucked slightly against Bobby as he made figure eights with his tongue. She felt him smile at her reaction.

Bobby kissed and licked his way up from her neck to her ear. He nipped at, then licked her earlobe which caused her grab at his t-

shirt and gasp sharply. "No fair," she said breathlessly. He smiled against her ear. "Who said I had to play fair?" he whispered

teasingly. She gasped again as a mini orgasm ran through her body. Bobby moaned and panted in Angel's ear as she slowly moved

her hips against his growing erection. He felt so close to the point of reaching his climax, he took a step back from her. He smiled at

the smug look of satisfaction Angel had on her face. "You're not playing fair, Angel." She shrugged slightly. "I'm not suppose to,

Bobby." He loved the way she said his name. Alannah always called him 'Robert,' even during sex. The only time Angel ever called

him 'Robert' was to get his attention about something.

* * *

Angel leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back as she watched Bobby step back to her. He placed his forearm on the

wall above her head and his hand on her shoulder. He put his forehead on his forearm, looking deep into Angel's eyes. She licked her

lips in anticipation of whatever was about to happen next. "No matter what I do, keep looking at me," he whispered. Angel nodded

as she bit her lip. Locking her eyes with his, he moved his hand from her shoulder down to her one of her already erect nipples. She

gasped loudly as he used his hand to make circles over her entire breast over the fabric of her nightgown. "Do you want me to stop?"

he asked. Angel managed a ragged "no" from her mouth. Bobby looked down and watched with pleasure at the way Angel moved

her body in small circles, keeping time with the circles he was making. He looked back up into her eyes and saw the sexual hunger

burning in them. He smiled and said, "Hold on. This trip is about to get wilder."

* * *

Angel grabbed a hold of Bobby's shirt as he moved his hand from her breast to the inside of her panties. She spread her legs apart

just enough for his hand to cover her whole vagina. "Oh, Bobby!" she exclaimed softly as he crooked 2 of his long fingers inside of

her. "Is all of that for me?" he said huskily into her ear. "Yes!" "Hmmm. I thought so." He took his fingers out of her, then spread

open her pussy lips. He crooked his middle finger inside of her, then withdrew it so that he'd have some lubrication as he slowly

rubbed his finger up and down her clit. Angel thrust her hips against Bobby's hand with each rub. "What do you want, Angel?" "I

want you naked and rock hard in my bed." He smiled as he took a step back from her. Angel, breathing heavily, watched with

fascination as Bobby sucked her juices off of his middle finger. "Well, you already have the 'rock hard' part." Angel gave him a

crooked a smile as he brushed his hand against his already bulging pants.

* * *

Angel reached for his pants, but he caught her wrist. She reached for him again with her other free hand, but he caught her by that

wrist, too. Bobby shook his head with a devilish grin. Angel looked up at him, pouting. He laughed softly at her. He was thoroughly

enjoying teasing Angel by withholding himself from her. He knew the longer he held off on actually letting her touch him, the greater

her orgasm would be. He let go of her wrists and said, "Have a seat. Please." Angel gently brushed against Bobby and his hard dick

as she went to sit at the foot of the bed. She smiled to herself as she heard him softly exclaim, "Oh, shit!" That'll teach him for being a

tease. Bobby took a deep breath before turning around to face Angel. She was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, flexing her

foot up and down, her hands on either side of her to support her weight. She looked up at him through her eyelashes.

* * *

Bobby relished looking at the fire in her eyes. "What are you thinking about, Angel?" he asked. Her eyes wandered to the bulge in his

pants before wandering back up to his face. "Oh, about 8 or 9 things come to mind right now," she said with a smile. Bobby grinned.

He walked over to kiss her, but she placed the foot she had been flexing on his crotch to gently push him back from her. Bobby's

eyes widened in surprise. They looked deeply into each other's eyes as she rubbed her foot up and down his hard dick. He moaned

deeply in his throat as she continued to torture him. Finally, she stopped and put her foot on the floor. "Strip," she said softly. Bobby

obeyed by pulling the t-shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor. He ran his finger underneath the elastic of his pants and boxers.

"What do I get for losing the shirt?" he asked in a husky voice. Without saying a word, Angel stood up. She pulled her nightgown

over her head, tossing it on top of his shirt. Then she pushed her panties down over her hips and stepped out of them. She twirled

them on her index finger for a few seconds before flinging them on top of the discarded clothes. She pulled the ponytail holder from

her hair, twirling it and tossing it aside like she did with her panties.

* * *

Bobby inhaled sharply as he took in the sight of his naked Angel standing before him. "You are very beautiful," he said. Angel

blushed. "Thank you." She sat back down on the bed, both feet planted on the floor, her hands on either side of her. "Finish," she

said. Bobby slowly pushed his pants down. His dick sprang out of his pants as soon as his pants were passed his hips. He smiled to

himself as he watched her lick her lips. He stepped out of them and tossed them aside. He stood there, running his hand up and down

his rock hard shaft. Angel crooked her finger at him and said, "Come here. Let me help you with that." He walked over to her and

inhaled deeply as she took his throbbing cock inside her mouth. "Oh, God," he moaned as she began to massage his balls. He looked

down in amazement as she worked wonders with her tongue on his dick. When Angel began to suck on his balls, Bobby's eyes rolled

into the back of his head. He felt himself tense up, almost coming to orgasm, so he begged, "An….Angel, please! You've got to

stop." Angel smiled, satisfied knowing she had made him pay for teasing her.

* * *

Bobby took a few deep breaths as he recovered from Angel's oral assault. He watched her through heavy eyelids as she grabbed his

wrist, pulling him on top of her as she slid back onto the bed. Bobby kissed Angel deeply as he laid on top of her. She panted heavily

as he kissed her ear and neck. She closed her eyes tightly and gripped the bedcovers as he kissed a trail from her neck down to her

breasts. Bobby sucked and nibbled on one breast while rolling the nipple of the other between his fingers before switching up. He

kissed his way back up to Angel's waiting mouth. Propping himself up on one arm, Bobby's hand made its way back between her

legs, his thumb rubbing back and forth rhythmically against her clit. "Did you think I'd let you bring me to the edge like that and not

pay you back?" he whispered playfully against her lips. Angel chuckled as she moved her hips in time to his strokes. She ran her

fingers through his hair and said, "I had to bring you back to reality. Make you realize I could be a tease, too." He smiled and licked

her bottom lip. "Are you ready for me?" "I've been ready," she replied breathlessly.

* * *

Bobby moved to position himself between Angel's legs. He rubbed the head of his dick up and down slowly against her clit. Angel

closed her eyes tightly, lifting her hips to make Bobby slide inside of her. But he moved back just enough to keep that from

happening. "Look at me," he said. She opened her eyes and looked into Bobby's eyes. He started back to rubbing her clit slowly

again with his dick. Her breathing became heavy as he sped up. Just when it seemed like Angel was about to climax, she let out a

loud gasp as Bobby thrust himself to the hilt hard and effortlessly inside her. He thrust deep and slowly at first, finding her G-spot each

time. "Oh, Bobby!" she called out in pleasured anguish. Angel wrapped her legs around his waist as her muscles tightened around his

dick. He sped up his thrusts as he felt Angel beginning to have her orgasm. He tensed up as he felt himself getting ready to come.

Bobby timed his orgasm with hers with a few more quick thrusts. He growled deep in his throat as he shot his load of semen deep

inside her.

* * *

Once he was spent, Bobby looked down at Angel. She smiled up at him, her breathing still heavy. "Are…are you okay? Did I…I

hurt you?" he asked. She shook her head. "I'm fine." She reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of

her as she kissed him. He pulled back to look at her. "What?" she asked. He rubbed his nose against hers and smiled. "You have this

amazing, beautiful glow about you. I enjoy seeing it every time after we make love." She blushed. "Well, you know how to put it

there," she said softly. Angel shivered a little as the cool air hit her skin. Bobby got up and retrieved the summer quilt they had

knocked down to the floor. He placed the quilt over her, then crawled under it himself. He laid on his side, propped up on one elbow

with his face in his hand. Angel slid closer to him, laying on her back looking up at him. She closed her eyes as he stroked her cheek

with his free hand. She sighed contently.

* * *

Angel opened her eyes, but didn't look at Bobby. She watched her toes wriggle under the covers and said, "I'm on birth control, just

in case you were wondering." Bobby grinned. "I know. I snuck a peek in your medicine cabinet when I got up and went to the

bathroom earlier." She looked up at him, then rolled her eyes. "Of course, you would," she said with a smile. "I almost forgot how

nosy you are." "Hey! I resemble that remark," he said with mock indignation. Angel giggled. Bobby leaned down and kissed her

softly on the lips. "I just want to say thank you for wanting to try to pick up where we left off," he said quietly. Angel reached up and

touched his cheek. "You don't have to thank me, Bobby. I'm just glad you wanted to try to do the same thing, too."

* * *

Bobby closed his eyes as he nuzzled his face in her hand. _"How in the hell did you snag this incredible woman?" _he thought to

himself. _"Doesn't matter right now. What matters now is how do you keep from losing her." _Angel turned on her side to face

Bobby, her hands on his chest. "You have most certainly worn me out," she said softly. He grinned. "No, I think you have that

backwards. You have worn this old man out." She giggled as he put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. They laid face

to face. She freed one of her arms, putting it on top of Bobby's. "Take a nap, Handsome. You'll need more energy for round 2." His

eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh. I do so enjoy threats of sexual pleasure from beautiful naked women." They laughed. Angel

kissed Bobby's lips, then closed her eyes. Within a matter of minutes, she had fallen asleep. Bobby watched her a few minutes more

before he closed his eyes and fell asleep with a smile on his face. _"I've got my Angel," _was the last thought to go across his mind

before drifting off to dream land.

* * *

Check out my profile for what's coming up next. Peace and love. :o)


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: The chapter is rated for M for language (The Wonder Twins make an appearance, so you know what foul mouths they have LOL) LO:CI characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just taking them for a spin. Thanks to all who have read, reviewed, put me or this story on their Favorite or Alert list. I really do appreciate it. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy.****

* * *

Two years ago  
2****nd**** Sunday in August**

_It was 4:45 a.m. Bobby sighed as he stood with his arms folded across his chest, staring out of the bedroom window. He was_

_wearing boxers and his favorite pair of dark blue lounging pants. Angel had on his gray t-shirt. He walked over and turned _

_off the nightstand lamp, smiling at her sleeping form. She had a lavender satin scarf on her head. This past Tuesday, she had _

_had her hair done back into the cornrow style she sported when he first met her. Today was her last day in New York City. _

_Her flight was scheduled to take off in 12 hours, bound for Nashville. He walked back to look out of the window again and _

_sighed. When he had gotten up and went to the bathroom about an hour ago, it dawned on him that she would be leaving his _

_apartment for the last time today. He was a little saddened to be coming home to an empty apartment later on that day.__

* * *

Bobby thought about some of the things he had done with Angel this past week. They had gone to Central Park, walked_

across the Brooklyn Bridge, gone to visit the Statue of Liberty. He smiled to himself as he remembered how happy and

excited she had been about doing the tourist things. Angel had told him that she always visited Drew and Janelle's old

stomping grounds when she came to New York. She had never been to any of the tourist places. He was glad to show her all

those places and some of his old stomping grounds, too. "Bobby?" He turned at the sound of his name. Angel was sitting up,

one foot hanging over the edge of the bed. "You okay?" she asked softly. He smiled and nodded. "I couldn't get back to

sleep." "Oh." She got up and walked over to him. She put her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her. 

* * *

"_You watching over the city like Batman?" she asked. Bobby lightly chuckled. "I don't think I can quite pull off the costume _

_like Michael Keaton did." "I've seen you in jeans. I think you can," Angel said with a smile. He gave her a small squeeze. _

_She moved to stand in front of him, putting her arms around his waist. "What time you going to see your mom?" she asked, _

_looking up at him. Bobby looked down at her, shrugging. "I'll probably go see her after I see you off at the airport." "You _

_don't have to do that. I don't want you to miss your visit with her." He leaned down and kissed her, then put his forehead _

_against hers. "I can always visit my mom. I want to spend as much time as I can with you before you leave," he said softly. _

_Angel bounced on her toes and smiled. "Thank you." They hugged each other for a long time. "I could get used to her being _

_here all the time," he thought to himself. _

* * *

"_What are you thinking, Angel?" She shook her head. "Just memorizing the moment." What she was really thinking was _

_how much she wanted to stay in New York to be with him, but she dismissed that thought quickly. She didn't want to scare _

_him with her feelings. Bobby kissed the top of her head before pulling back. "For your last breakfast here in the Big Apple, _

_why don't I make my world famous omelet for you?" She smiled. "That sounds like a good idea." He leaned down and _

_whispered in her ear, "Then maybe we can have dessert afterwards?" Angel chuckled softly at Bobby's devilishly sexy smile. _

_She hooked her finger over the elastic of his pants as she started walking backwards, pulling him towards the bed. "Why _

_don't we have dessert first, then breakfast?" she said seductively. He pulled her into his arms and said as he started to kiss _

_her neck, "You bad girl. You read both of my minds."_**

* * *

Saturday, August 19**  
**Angel's home, 11:55 a.m.**

The distant sound of thunder rumbling and rain drops hitting the window woke up Angel. She inhaled deeply and sighed. She was still

laying on her side, facing Bobby. He, however, was laying on his back, one arm resting above his head, the other laying on her hip.

She noticed that the nightstand lamp was off and that they were still underneath the summer quilt. She smiled to herself as she watched

Bobby sleeping. She traced his nose, lips and cheekbones with her index finger. She liked the scruffy feel of his stubbly cheek.

Peaceful was the first word that popped in her mind as she continued to look at him. A frown broke Bobby's peaceful face as

Angel's house phone rang. She moved his arm from off of her hip as she rolled over to answer it.

* * *

"Hello?" Angel said as she sat up in the bed.

"Hey, baby. What's up?" Janelle said.

"Hey, Boo. Nothing much. I just woke up."

"Oh. Did I interrupt anything, I hope?" Angel rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "You are so nasty. No, you didn't interrupt anything."

Janelle laughed. "Shit, let me call back so I can interrupt then." Angel giggled. "Tell me again why I call you my best friend," she said. "Because I make you laugh and we both like Bruce Lee movies."

"Oh, yeah. That's right. I almost forgot. Anyway, what are you up to today?"

"Me and Drew are going by the shop for a little bit before we head to the will reading."

"That is today, isn't it? What time?" "2:00 p.m. at Dee's house. You want to go?"

"No," Angel answered. "That's what I figured," Janelle said. "I'mma tell Mr. Fisher that you couldn't make it."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Bobby's friend Rob is suppose to come by the shop sometime today. He bought Bobby a laptop for his birthday. He's coming to buy some accessories to go with it." "Oh, okay. That's nice"

"Anyway, I was calling to ask if you and Bobby wanted to hang out with us tonight. We want to take you out to celebrate last night's performance."

* * *

Angel looked down at Bobby. She smoothed back a lock of his hair. "Um, I'd like to, but I'll have to ask him."

Bobby looked up at Angel. "Ask me what?"

She looked down at him in surprise. "Hold on a sec, J," she said. She covered the phone's mouthpiece and said, "Janelle wants to know if we want to hang out with them tonight. Do you want to?" Bobby nodded. "Sure. Sounds like fun," he said with a smile.

Angel uncovered the mouthpiece and said, "Bobby said sure. You coming by here or do you want us to meet you somewhere?"

"We'll come to you. How about 5:00, 5:30?" Janelle asked. Angel glanced at the digital clock. It read 12:07 p.m. She replied, "Okay. Cool. See you then. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Angel pressed the 'end' button and placed the phone down on the nightstand table. She slid back down under the quilt, laying on her

side to face Bobby. He turned his head to look at her. He smiled and closed his eyes as she started tracing his facial features again

with her index finger. "What are you thinking?" Angel asked. Bobby's smile widen a little. "That Garvin was a very lucky man." He

opened his eyes and looked at Angel. She was smiling, too. "Thank you," she said softly. Bobby lifted his arm so that she could

snuggle closer to him, putting her head on his chest. He sighed as he inhaled deeply, the smell of the rain invading his nostrils. "It's

raining," he commented quietly. "Yeah. The sound of the thunder woke me up." He smiled to himself as he remembered how she

would stare out of the window in his spare bedroom to watch the rain fall. Whenever it rained, he would always get up and go look

out of the same window like she did to feel a connection to her.

* * *

"Janelle and Drew are picking us at what time?" Bobby asked. "Around 5 or 5:30. They're gonna swing by the shop first, then head

over to DeMarco's house for the reading of his will." "You didn't want to go?" Angel shook her head. He squeezed her lightly.

Without her saying anything, he knew that she didn't want to have to deal with The Wonder Twins for a while. Bobby was okay with

that because he knew if either one of them or Brewster said anything or laid a hand on her, he would deal them himself personally.

"Any idea where they're taking us?" Angel thought for a second. "Hmm. Knowing them, we're probably going to dinner and a movie.

Drew and Janelle always took Garvin and me out to celebrate after a successful gig." "Ah. I see. So, we're keeping up tradition,

huh?" She laughed. "Yeah. I guess so."

* * *

"You didn't tell me where your party's going to be," Angel said. "Oh. It's going to be at Alex's parents' home. We're having a

cookout." "Oh, okay. I hope it doesn't get rained out." "Me, too." Bobby inhaled deeply. "Are you coming to the party?" he asked.

Angel remained silent for a minute before saying quietly, "I don't know. Probably not." He sighed as he squeezed her again. "If you're

worried about Alannah being there, I'll tell her not to come." "No, no, no. It has nothing to do with Alannah. I've always been

nervous about meeting new people for the first time. Even when we came back to the States and met our parents' families for the first

time, I remember being an anxious and nervous 4 year old about meeting some strange people I was related to that I had never seen

before. I can handle meeting fans, but meeting a whole lot of people who will actually get to know me scares me sometimes."

* * *

Bobby hugged Angel. "Tell me about the first time you met Garvin's family," he said softly. Angel sighed. "Garvin and I started getting

pretty serious about each other by the time my 19th birthday rolled around. For my birthday, I got this really mushy pre-Valentine's

card from him, declaring his undying love for me. Anyway, that summer, on the Fourth of July, I went with him to New Jersey for his

family reunion. After I had been introduced to everyone, his mom pulled him to the side and said, 'Why did you bring that half white

girl here?' and a few more choice words about me." "Ouch," Bobby said. "That was a mean thing to say." "Yeah, I know. Garvin

apologized for her because she was drunk. The next day, she came to me herself and apologized for the things she said. She said she

didn't realize how much she had had to drink before we showed up." "I saw you hugged her at the funeral, so I take it you and she

were able to get along." "Yeah. She was always a little overprotective and overbearing when it came to Garvin because he was her

only son. She'd make snide remarks sometimes, but would always apologize afterwards. Or Garvin made her apologize. I kinda got

used to after a while. It was just her way of showing love for her son."

* * *

"Well, I can tell you that Alex's family will be very happy to meet you. Janet and Johnny, Alex's parents, will probably ask a lot of

questions to get a feel of what kind of person you are," Bobby said. Angel nodded her head silently. "What happens if I don't pass

the test?" she asked quietly. "I think they have the good sense not to say anything. Don't worry about what they think." He kissed the

top of her head to reassure her. "How many people are going to be at the party?" she asked. Bobby snorted. "God, the kids will

outnumber the adults easily." Angel laughed. "That many, huh?"

* * *

Bobby started counting on his fingers. "Let's see. There's Alex's older brother John and his wife Shannon. They have 4 kids: Justina,

John, Jr., Michael and Mackenzie. Then there's Jill, Alex's sister, and her husband Bryce with their 3 kids, Brianna, Barbara and

Christopher Nathan. Finally, there's Shane and his brood of 4: Sean, Seth, Sherrie, and Shana. You throw in Lewis, Rob and

Courtney, Alannah and Chazen, along with Alex herself and her parents, that's over 20 people." "Gee, you really are popular," Angel

said with smile. Bobby laughed. "Knowing Alex like I do, she's probably invited Logan and Wheeler and our former captain and his

family and other people I wouldn't expect to be there." He shook his head. "There's no telling how many people I'll see on Sunday."

"Who's Chazen?" "Alannah's new playmate for the weekend." "Oh."

* * *

Bobby moved to turn on his side so that he could look at Angel. He stroked her cheek softly as he memorized her face. She smiled at

him. "Will you at least think about coming to the party? Please?" he asked quietly. She nodded. He smiled, then kissed her on the lips.

Angel snuggled again into Bobby's arms as they fell into a comfortable silence. He sighed deeply as he held her. It had been a long

time since he felt this comfortable being able to open himself up to someone. Right at this moment, Bobby realized Angel held his

heart in her hands without her knowing it. That fact scared the hell out of him because that meant she could hurt him deeply and he

would be powerless to stop her. _"I just hope we can make this relationship work," _he thought to himself as he listened to the rain

and Angel's breathing.**

* * *

Saturday, August 19  
Enchanted Ecstasy Day Spa, 11:30 a.m.**

Alex sighed contently as she wriggled her toes in the warm water. "I could get used to doing this everyday," the brunette sitting to

Alex's left said. Alex smiled and said, "I totally agree with you, Shannon." "Well, if you two continue being nice to me, I just might let

you come with me all the time," Jill said. They chuckled. Bryce, Jill's husband, had won 18 months worth of free day spa services at

Enchanted Ecstasy Spa from a drawing at the engineer conference he had attended during the week. Shannon leaned forward to look

at Jill and said, "Well, you know you are my favorite sister-in-law." "Hey!" exclaimed Alex. "I thought I was your favorite sister-in-

law." "Of course you are. Just let her be my favorite until 18 months have passed." "Gotcha." They all laughed.

* * *

"Did Mom say what time she wanted to go grocery shopping today?" Jill asked. "She wants us to come by her house after we're

done here," answered Alex. "Mom's been buying decorations all week. I swear I think she's bought out Party City." Shannon

chuckled. "You're not kidding. Dad came by our house to get our helium tank. He said he'll be damned if he was going to blow up 5

bags of balloons without some kind of help." "She's just so excited about Bobby letting us do something special for him. She wants

everything to be perfect." "Speaking of perfect," Shannon started, "tell me about his girlfriend Alannah." Alex gave her a puzzled

look. "Who called Alannah perfect?" she asked. "Mom did. She said any woman that Bobby has been involved with for longer than a

year must be the perfect Miss Right for him."

* * *

Alex sighed, wishing she had never mentioned Alannah's name. _"Me and my big mouth,"_ she thought. "They are just friends.

Nothing more. Nothing less," she said. Shannon and Jill exchanged knowing glances at each other. "Of course, they are," Jill said.

"I'm sure if they get engaged, you'll at least tell us, won't you?" Alex sighed and shook her head. "You two are unbelievable. How in

the hell do you make the leap from 'they're dating' to 'they're getting engaged' when you haven't even met the woman yet?" Shannon

shrugged. "It's obvious Bobby's serious about this woman. Why else would he bring her to the party other than to let us meet his

soon to be wife?" _"He's bringing her because he's fucked her on his birthday for the past 4 years," _Alex thought. _"Of course, _

_with Angel in the picture, that may change." _She shook herself out of her thoughts. "I don't even know if Alannah is coming on

Sunday." "Why wouldn't she come?" Jill asked. _"Because Bobby is spending the weekend with Angel," _Alex thought Instead, she

replied, "Alannah is a clothes buyer for some high end retail boutiques here in New York and Los Angeles. She travels a lot all over

the world." "I hope she gets back in town soon. I'm really looking forward to meeting her." "I'll call Bobby later to see if Alannah is

in town." _"And to see exactly how much drama we can expect to happen at this party." _**

* * *

Saturday, August 19  
DeMarco Anderson's home, 2:00 p.m.**

Janelle and Drew were sitting on the couch next to Sasha in the living room of DeMarco's home. Sasha patted the spot next to her as

Lynnette came out of the kitchen. "Have a seat, Mamacita," she said. Lynnette plopped down on the couch. "Thank you, Sister-in-

Law," she said. Sasha smiled as she took her hand and squeezed it. There were 2 straight back dining room chairs sitting to the left of

Drew. Mary Frances and Albert came in and headed towards those chairs. Drew stood up and said, "Take my seat, Miss Mary."

She waved him back down. "That's okay, Drew. You stay there. This chair is just what I need for my back." Albert waited until she

sat before he took his seat. On the opposite wall, to Lynnette's right, sat Eden and David Brewster on the loveseat. Eric was sitting in

a straight back chair next to Eden.

* * *

Eric stared at Drew while Eden stared at Janelle. "I can't stand them motherfuckers," Eric whispered under his breath. "What the

fuck are they here for anyway? Shit, except for Mama and Daddy, why in the hell are any of them here? They oughta know DeMarco

left everything to me and Eden because we was his favorites." Eden patted his hand. "Don't worry about them bastards, Brother.

Once Mr. Fisher tells them that they ain't getting nada, we can kick them out and have a party." He smiled at his sister. Brewster

leaned forward to talk to both of them. "Eric, have you had a chance to search the house to find the jump drive?" Eric shook his

head. "Dammit, Eric, that was a stupid thing you did anyway! If you hadn't stolen it from me, we'd be in business by now," he said

sharply under his breath. "Fuck you, Davey," Eric hissed. "You had Eden steal from Frankie Devil. I've heard the stories about that

crazy motherfucker. You like playing with fire, dontcha?" Through tightly clinched teeth, Brewster said, "I told your black ass that I

had everything under control. That I could have gotten some people to help me take out Frank James. But instead you fucking panic!"

* * *

Eden pushed her way forward to pry them apart. "Will both of you fuckers take a damn chill pill?" she said through her teeth. "This is

not the place to talk about that. Anyway, Frankie doesn't have a clue who stole from him." Brewster sat back, running his hand

through his hair. "That's right," he said quietly. "Because if he did know, we all would have been branded by now. Or at the very

least, he would have summoned the Killer Frankies back from wherever he banished them to get them to find the person who stole

from him. My sources have assured me that they are not back in town." Eric sat back, shaking his head. "As soon as we find that

jump drive, you better have The Devil taken out before he has a chance to get any of us." Eden patted Eric's hand again. "You worry

too much, E.J. I can handle Frank James. All I have to do is let him have some of this pussy and he'll forget all about that jump drive."

Brewster put one arm around Eden's shoulder while he put his hand between her legs, rubbing up and down through the fabric of her

linen shorts. He whispered in her ear, "I thought this pussy was mine." Eden turned to him and smiled. "It is yours. You just have to

share it with Frankie for a little while."

* * *

"Oh, God! I'm going to be sick," Janelle said under her breath to Drew as she caught sight of the action happening between Eden and

Brewster. Drew looked where she looking and made a face. "Dang, Janelle! You did NOT have to point out the porno show to me."

"Oh, no! If I got to see it, so do you. I'm not the only who's going to have their retinas scarred for life." Sasha and Lynnette turned

their heads to look at Janelle and Drew. "What are you two talking about?" Sasha asked. She and Lynnette had been so busy talking

to each other that they missed the action. Janelle shook her head. "Y'all don't even want to know," she said. She looked off as

Brewster stood up and started to walk towards them. "Oh, hell! What does this fool want?" she muttered under her breath. Brewster

stopped in front of the couch. He nodded and smiled at everyone. "On behalf of my clients sitting over there, I just want to let you all

know that as soon as it is announced that the house is theirs, you all need to vacate the premises immediately or you'll be charged

with trespassing." He leaned forward to Janelle and said in a loud stage whisper, "Oh, and you might want to take the 2 burly security

guards with you as well before I have them arrested for violating their parole." He straightened back up, flashing a toothy smile. Then

he walked off and took his seat next to Eden. Eden and Eric both gave Janelle smug looks as they high fived each other.

* * *

Janelle folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to one side, then the other side. "Oh, FUCK NO!!" she said. Drew

and Sasha both tried to grab Janelle by her arms, but she jumped up very quickly. She stood up, one hand on her hip, the other hand

pointing a finger at Eden. "What?! You so scared that you got to send your punk ass boy over there to do your dirty work?! Oh, hell

no! If you feeling froggy, motherfucker, then LEAP!" Eden narrowed her eyes as she got up and started walking towards Janelle.

"Eden Jane Anderson!" Mary Frances boomed. She snapped her attention from Janelle to her mother. "I'm not in the mood to fool

with you and Eric James today! Sit your narrow ass down. NOW!" "Yes, Mama," she said as she sneered at Janelle before sulking

off to the loveseat. Mary Frances rubbed her forehead. "Janelle Elizabeth Spencer, sit down before I start yelling at you." Janelle

sighed. "Yes, ma'am." She sat down next to Drew, but continued staring at Eden. Albert shook his head, wondering what the hell

was happening to his family. _"Lord, please. Help us," _he thought. He put his arm around his wife.

* * *

A tall, dark skinned man, who looked to be in his early 50's, with gray hair dressed in a business suit walked out of the kitchen.

"Sorry, I'm late everyone," he said. "I'm Thomas Fisher. I'm the lawyer who drew up DeMarco's will." Apparently, Mr. Fisher had

no idea about the battle that almost took place before he came into the room. Or he did know, but chose to ignore it. He reached into

the binder that he held in his hand and pulled out a clear plastic DVD sleeve. He pulled out the DVD that was contained inside of the

sleeve and put into the DVD player. "Before I play this, I just wanted to let you all know that DeMarco did have a written will as

well. He wanted to express his wishes verbally to all of you as well." Mr. Fisher pressed 'play' on the remote. He remained standing,

moving out of the way so that everyone could see the TV. Junior and Junebug came up and stood behind him.

* * *

DeMarco's smiling image appeared on the screen. "There's my baby," Mary Frances said tearfully. Drew reached over and

squeezed her hand. "Hey, family," DeMarco said. "Well, since you all are here viewing this, it must mean one thing: that I'm dead.

Mama, I know you're crying, but you don't have. I learned to accept whatever would happen to me a long time ago." Mary Frances

dabbed at her eyes as she shook her head. "Just because you accepted it doesn't mean I did," she said quietly to the screen.

DeMarco's image sighed heavily. "Mr. Fisher has my official last will and testament on paper. I just wanted to tell you all what you

wanted to know without having to listen to a bunch of legalese. Anyway, let me get the legal mumbo jumbo words out of the way. I,

DeMarco Louis Anderson, being of sound mind and body, do hereby leave the following." His image sighed again as he looked into

the camera.

* * *

"To Sasha Cruz, one of my best friends and the mother of my beautiful daughter Celena Lynnette Cruz Anderson, I'm leaving you

everything that is contained in my safety deposit box at the bank. Mr. Fisher has all the documentation you'll need to get into it. Your

name is on all of the important papers, so you and Celena will be taken care of." Sasha covered her mouth as she started crying.

"Sasha, even though we didn't get married, I always thought of you as my wife. Thank you for giving me the most beautiful child in the

whole wide world. I want you to know I love both of you very, very much."

* * *

"To my parents, my aunt and uncle, Albert and Mary Frances Anderson. Mr. Fisher is about hand you the deed to the house."

DeMarco's image paused for a moment as Mr. Fisher reached into his binder and pulled out a piece of paper. He walked over to

Albert and handed it to him. Mr. Fisher went back to where he was standing. Eden and Eric's mouths dropped open with surprise.

"Oh, my God!" Janelle said under her breath. She clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Drew rolled his

eyes and exhaled heavily as he realized Janelle was laughing by the way her shoulders were moving. He put his hand on her thigh and

whispered, "Quit laughing, Janelle. This is not the time or place to laugh." "The hell it ain't!" she replied with her mouth still covered.

DeMarco's image continued talking. "Daddy, I know you and Mama ain't gonna leave New Jersey to come live in this house, so I'd

like for you to sell it and split the money between you, Lynnette, DeAndre, Dianna, Dayna and Dwight. Y'all can take whatever

you'd like to have out of the house. Whatever else is left, give it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. No matter how much they cry

and beg, DON'T give Eden and Eric a damn thing!" All eyes fell on the Wonder Twins, whose mouths were still hanging open. "You

might want to close your mouth before you catch a fly or some other bug," Lynnette said sarcastically to the twins. Eden gave her a

cold look while Mary Frances said sharply, "Lynnette Frances! Behave!"

* * *

"Eric James and Eden Jane Anderson, the black sheep of the family." DeMarco's image shook its head. "I'm gone now, so there's

nobody left or willing to put up with your foolishness. You know that saying 'do unto others as you would have done unto you?' All I

can say is whatever mean or spiteful things you two have and/or will do, it's gonna come back on you and bite you in the ass 3 times

as hard. Anyway, Mr. Fisher has a check for the both of you for $5,000.00." Mr. Fisher pulled the check out of his binder and

handed it to Eric. Eric looked at it before handing it to Eden. "5 Gs? What the fuck is this shit?!" she said. "That's all the money you

get from me," DeMarco's image said. "It's suppose to be for the both of you, but Eric, knowing you like I do, you're gonna let Eden

have the whole thing. Contrary to what you may have believed, Eden, any- and everything I earned or owned was NOT yours. It was

mine and mine alone. I let you and Eric take from me just to keep you two from bothering anybody else."

* * *

The image let out a chuckle. "Eden, I got one more thing to say to you before I go on. I know you got sticky fingers, baby, so

whatever you've picked up, you better put it back. Because knowing Drew and Janelle like I do, Junior and Junebug are there. They

will tell them to search you before you walk out that door. And don't offer to suck their dicks to get out of being searched if they have

to search you. That's not ladylike." Mary Frances and Albert gasped. "Oh, Lord!" Albert exclaimed. Eden turned slightly red and

sunk down into her seat a little bit. Sasha, Lynnette, Janelle and Drew all looked down at the floor, hoping to hide their smiles. Janelle

had to cover her mouth again to keep from laughing. Drew thumped her knee and shook his head. "I can't help it," she whispered.

* * *

"Finally, to Andrew and Janelle Spencer and Angelica Pierson-St. John. I'm glad I got to know you guys and was able to call you

my friends. I love all of you. Mr. Fisher has a check for each of you for $1,000.00" Mr. Fisher pulled out the checks and a set of car

keys. He handed Drew and Janelle their checks. "Where's Ms. Pierson-St. John?" he asked. "Angel couldn't make it today," Janelle

said. "She had some work business to take care of." Mr. Fisher nodded his head. He gave Angel's check and the car keys to Janelle.

"Angel, I'm giving you the keys to the Caddy. The title to it is in the safety deposit box. Sasha will give it to you. I want you to have

the Caddy because me and Garvin bought that car together to work on. He let me have it after we finished working on it. It's only fair

that I give it you."

* * *

DeMarco's image inhaled, then exhaled before smiling. "Well, that's all worldly possessions I have. I love you all. Like I said before,

I accepted whatever fate was destined for me a long time ago. My sincerest hope is that whatever good I have done has outweighed

the bad I have done. Y'all be good and take care of each other. Peace." The image threw up the peace sign before the screen turned

to black. Mr. Fisher turned off the DVD player with the remote. He stood in front of the TV and said, "This concludes the reading of

DeMarco Louis Anderson's will. If any of you have questions, I will meet with you individually in the kitchen." He turned to look at

Eric and Eden. "Per your brother's instructions, I am to have both of you and any of your friends escorted off this property

immediately." He motioned for Junebug and Junior. Eden jumped, yelling, "You can't make me leave! This is my brother's house!"

She looked at Mary Frances and Albert. "Mama! Daddy!" she pleaded. "Tell them we can stay!" Mary Frances stood up and shook

her head. "Eden, Eric. Right now there needs to be some peace in this house. Y'all just leave right now. I'll let you know when you

can come back." Eric jumped up and stood next to Eden. They looked at each other before turning to their mother. "Mama, please!!"

they begged. "I can't deal with this right now." Mary Frances threw up her hands and walked out into the direction of the kitchen.

Mr. Fisher, Albert, Sasha and Lynnette followed behind her.

* * *

Eden glared at Drew and Janelle. "You made DeMarco leave us nothing!" she spat. Janelle opened her mouth to say something, but

Drew put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Let it go, baby. They ain't worth the breath you're about to waste." Janelle exhaled

and leaned back against her husband. Junior and Junebug had descended upon the twins. Junior had Eric by his arm; Junebug had

Eden by hers. "Y'all need to leave now," Junebug said, pointing to the door. "You, too, Brewster." Brewster looked up at the 2

bodyguards. He smiled weakly as he ran his fingers through his hair. He stood up, heading towards the door first. Junior and Junebug

practically dragged the unwanted houseguests out of the door.

* * *

Drew and Janelle both let out heavy sighs. "I'm too old for this shit," Drew said. Janelle let out a little laugh. "Honey, you and me

both." Drew got up, held out his hand to Janelle to help her up. They walked arm in arm out the door to their car. "Well, Old Man,

you ready to pick up the new lovebirds?" Janelle asked. Drew laughed. "Yes, Old Woman, I'm ready." Janelle stopped, putting her

hands on her hips. "Old? OLD? I'll show you old!" She gave Drew's arm a light swat as she took off running towards the car. "If you

can catch me, you'll get a kiss!" Drew shook his head and laughed as he ran to chase Janelle around the car. He was not about to let

a good kiss get away from him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Notes: I actually managed to have a chapter with no really bad swearing. Imagine that. LOL. Anyway, LO:CI and all its characters belongs to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just taking them for spin. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)****

* * *

Saturday, August 19  
****Angel's Home, 3:00 p.m.**

Angel had stepped into the shower when Bobby decided to get out of the bed. He slipped on his boxers and lounge pants, picked up his cell phone and walked out of the bedroom into the TV room. He sat down on the couch as he dialed the number to his home.

"Hello?" a young female voice answered.

"Courtney?" Bobby asked.

"Hi, Uncle Bobby! How are you?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart. How…how are you?" "I'm fine. Daddy said me and Uncle Lewis are spending the night here tonight. Are you coming home soon?"

Bobby smiled to himself as he tried to think of what to tell his goddaughter. "I won't be home for a while, Courtney. I…I've got some business to take care of."

"Oh," she said, sounding slightly disappointed. "I'll get to see you tomorrow, won't I? At your birthday party?"

"Of course you will."

"Okay. Uncle Bobby, can I ask you a question?" "Sure. Ask away."

"The other kids that will be there. Are you sure they'll be nice?"

* * *

Bobby smiled to himself again. Courtney was very shy, so it took her sometime to make new friends. Rob had told him that the last

time he and Courtney had gone to a party where there were other kids her age was to his ex-girlfriend Alyssa's parents' home about

a year ago. A couple of Alyssa's nieces had been very mean to Courtney while they were hula hooping. They made fun of her

because she couldn't quite get the hang of it. They teased her so badly, she ended up in tears and told her dad. When Rob tried

talking to the girls' parents, one of the mothers said that if Courtney weren't so slow that maybe she wouldn't get teased. The straw

that broke the camel's back was when Alyssa actually agreed with her sister-in-law. He was so furious, he took Courtney by the

hand and left the party. He hadn't talked to Alyssa since that day.

* * *

"They'll be nice, Courtney. I promise. If not, you come and tell me or your dad. We'll have a talk with them and their parents. Okay?"

Courtney sighed. "Okay," she said with a smile. "Uncle Bobby, Daddy says you have a new friend named Angel. Is she coming to the party? Is she nice? Do you think she'll like me?"

Bobby silently groaned to himself. _"Good God, Rob! What have you told Courtney?!" _he thought. "Yes, Angel is very nice. I invited her to my party, but I don't know if she's going to come."

"Oh. Do you think she'll like me?"

"I think she'll like you. I know she does like kids." "That's good to know, I guess."

Bobby chuckled. There were times when Courtney sounded like a 30 year old woman instead of a 10 year old girl. "Yes, that is good to know. Could you put your dad on the phone, please?"

"Okay, Uncle Bobby. I love you." Bobby smiled. "I love you, too, sweetheart."

* * *

Bobby heard Courtney put the phone down so that she go find her dad. "Hello?" Rob said.

"Robby-Boy, please explain to me why my apartment is full of people while I'm not there," Bobby said playfully.

Rob laughed. "Well, Bobby-Boy, if you'd kept your horny ass here for the weekend, I wouldn't have invited all of these people here."

Bobby chuckled. "I guess I should be grateful that you didn't invite Pauly and Salvatore over for a game of poker. I'd never get the smell of cheap cigars and liquor out of the apartment." "Oh, man! Don't even bring those 2 idiots up. I wouldn't unleash their smell on my worst enemy." Bobby heard Lewis' voice in the background. "Hold on for a sec, Bobby," Rob said. "Okay." Bobby heard Rob tell Lewis and Courtney to make sure they get everything on the grocery list if they wanted to have homemade pizza for dinner tonight. Then he heard them tell Rob goodbye and the door open and close.

* * *

"I'm back," Rob said. "What were we talking about?"

"Nothing in particular," Bobby replied. "What in the hell did you tell Courtney about Angel and me?"

"I told her that you've got a new female friend named Angel and that she's nice. That's all I told her."

Bobby sighed. He didn't know how he was going to explain his and Angel's relationship to Alex's nieces and nephews, let alone Courtney. She always asked so many honest questions that it was sometimes difficult for Bobby not to talk to her like she was an adult. As for the nieces and nephews, they've been assuming (incorrectly he might add), thanks to John and Shannon, for a while that he and Alex would get married and have kids together. _"God, I hope they don't get upset or anything like that," _he thought.

* * *

"So, uh, did Alannah call you this morning?" Rob asked, interrupting Bobby's thoughts.

"Yeah, she did. We had an interesting conversation.," Bobby replied. "She even made an interesting proposition."

"Really? How good was this proposition?" Bobby thought for a minute. "Let's just say I would forward the picture I got from her to you, but I deleted it."

"Was this proposition good enough to make you leave your present location?"

"No, it wasn't," Bobby replied quietly.

"Are you disappointed that you didn't leave?"

Bobby sighed heavily. "No, I'm not disappointed that I chose Angel over Alannah. I'm disappointed in myself. I let myself react to all the sexual suggestions she was making."

* * *

Rob let out a wry chuckle. "Good grief, Bobby-Boy! I talked to Alannah for maybe less than 30 seconds and I had a hard on by the time I hung up the phone. You can't beat yourself up for having a bodily reaction to Alannah's voice. You know that. You should be disappointed in yourself if you left Angel to go to Alannah."

"I know. You're right." Bobby took a deep breath, then said, "I invited Alannah to my party."

Rob was quiet for about a minute. He let out a low whistle. "Is Angel comfortable with that? Is she going to come to the party?" he asked.

"Angel's okay with Alannah being at the party. Angel may or may not come. She hasn't decided yet."

"Well, if Alannah is going to be the reason Angel doesn't come to this party, may I suggest you un-invite Alannah?"

"Alannah wouldn't be the reason," Bobby said. "Angel is…gets very nervous when she meets new people. If you think about it, I'd the only person she really knows."

Rob said, "That's not true. She knows Alex, Lewis and me. She'd have some friends there."

"You don't get it, Rob. From Angel's perspective, this is my family she's meeting for the first time. To her, you would be judging whether or not she was worthy to be with me."

"She told you all of this?" "She didn't have to. I figured it out just by listening to her talk about meeting her late husband's family for the first time."

"Well, I hope you talk to her and try to calm her fears," he said.

Bobby smiled. "I will try my best," he said.

* * *

Bobby remained for a few seconds before he said quietly, "I think I'm in love with Angel." He imagined Rob had a surprised look on his face. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, really. The fact that I just said that out loud terrifies me."

"Why are you terrified?"

Bobby took a deep breath, then released it before answering, "I'm terrified because I'm letting someone get close to the madness and insanity that is my life. I'm letting someone get close enough to crush my heart and my feelings." He took another deep breath and released it. "Maybe I should just walk away now to avoid all the trouble this relationship will cause. I'm better off being alone."

Rob scoffed. "Bobby-Boy, you've got to get out there and live a little bit. Don't give up on Angel just yet. Give the relationship a chance to grow before you throw everything out of the window." Bobby remained silent for a few minutes, letting Rob's words sink into his brain. He sighed heavily and shook his head. Telling Angel how he felt about her was going to be a very daunting task indeed.

* * *

"I think you're ready for this relationship to work, " Rob said. "You wouldn't have bought that ring for Angel if you weren't sure."

Bobby let out a wry chuckle. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. When are you going to give it to her?"

"Well, if she decides to come to the party, I will give it to her then. In front of everybody."

"Whoa! This party just got really, really interesting. I think I'd better bring my camcorder to record all of this."

Bobby let out a small laugh. "You know me. I don't do anything half assed," he said. Rob answered, "Yeah. That's for sure."

Bobby glanced up at the digital atomic clock that was hanging on the wall. It read 3:15 p.m. "I better let you go. I've got to get ready for a night out on the town," he said.

Rob said, "Okay. We'll see you tomorrow afternoon then."

"Later, Robby-Boy."

"Later, Bobby-Boy."**

* * *

Saturday, August 19**  
**Angel's Home, 3:20 p.m.**

Bobby stood in the doorway of the bedroom, leaning against the doorjamb, watching Angel as she put on her panties before she sat

down on the bed to put lotion on her body. He definitely enjoyed the way she smoothed the lotion over her arms and legs. She

looked up at him and smiled when she realized he was watching her. "You enjoying the show?" she asked. Bobby blushed a little.

"Yes, I am. Very much," he replied. "Would you mind putting some lotion on my back, please?" she said, holding out the lotion bottle

to him. Bobby walked into the room, and placed his cell on the nightstand table. He took the bottle out of her hand and sat down on

the bed. Angel moved her hair out the way as she turned with her back towards Bobby. He read the label on the bottle before he

poured some of the lotion in his hands and rubbed it on Angel's back.

* * *

He inhaled deeply. "I like this scent. This 'Black Currant Vanilla.' It smells very sexy." Bobby put his arms around Angel's waist,

pulling her closer to him and whispered in her ear, "Which just enhances your sexuality even more and makes me horny." She smiled

as she crossed her arms over her bare breasts and leaned against him. She looked up at him and said, "Thank you for the

compliment. Am I going to have to change scents if you're going to be in a constant state of horniness?" Bobby laughed and shook his

head no. "As long as you're around, I'll always be horny." It was Angel's turn to laugh. "You're so silly," she said. He kissed her

cheek and gave her small squeeze before letting go of her.

* * *

"It's true," Bobby said as he got up, stripped off his clothing and headed into the bathroom to take his shower. Angel remained sitting

on the bed, shaking her head and smiling. _"He's just like Garvin sometimes," _she thought. _"Always expressing what he really _

_feels and thinks." _She got up, picked up Bobby's discarded clothing and laid the garments in the chair that was next to her clothes

hamper. She grabbed her robe that was hanging from the back of the chair and put on it. She picked up the empty water bottle off the

dresser, heading towards the kitchen to place in the recycle bin. The house phone started ringing as soon as Angel got into the

kitchen. She dropped the bottle into the bin, then pressed the 'speaker' button on the phone.

* * *

"Hello?" she said.

"Hola, mi hija," a male voice said.

"Hola, Papi! Como estas?" Angel asked with a smile.

"Bien, bien," Charles Pierson, Angel's father, replied. "How are you, Baby Girl?" he asked.

"I'm okay, Papi," she replied. "I thought you and Uncle Howard were going fishing this weekend."

He sighed. "We were, but the cabin we were going to be staying in was already booked, so we're gonna try again next weekend." "Oh, okay," Angel said.

"Anyway, I figured I'd better give my only daughter a call since she doesn't call me to tell me things."

* * *

Angel frowned at the tone of Charles' voice. "Okay," she said cautiously. "Que pasa, Papi?"

"You and your Mama. That's what's up. Both of you think you're slick by not telling me that some crazy son of a bitch attacked you at DeMarco's funeral!"

Angel let out an exasperated breath as she shook her head. She knew Aggie Jane's husband, Jasper, must have called Charles and told him what happened. "Daddy, I'm fine. Brewster didn't hurt me. I pressed charges against him. His court date is next month," she explained.

"Oh, no, Baby Girl! That doesn't cut it! What I don't understand is why weren't you on the plane with your Mama to come home! Someplace that's safe!"

"Daddy, I can't be running home every time at the first sign of trouble! You know as well as I do that's there's just as much crime in Nashville as there is in New York City. You seem to keep forgetting that I'm a grown woman."

"I'm perfectly aware that you are a grown woman, Angelica Marie Pierson! But you seem to forget that you are a SINGLE woman ALONE in an UNFAMILIAR and DANGEROUS city!"

"Unfamiliar?! Dangerous?! Alone?! Papi, you keep forgetting that I've been coming up to New York ever since I met Janelle in college. I'm not alone. I have friends here. You and Mami taught me how to take care of myself and to look out for and stay away from trouble. At least give me some credit for using the common sense y'all drilled into my head!"

* * *

Angel listened to Charles' heavy breathing. She took a couple of deep breaths herself to help her calm down. She knew she was right

about she just said. He knew it, too. It was just going to take him a little bit longer to wrap his mind around the truth. Ever since Angel

had been a little girl, her father had always been overprotective of her and James, the youngest of her 4 brothers, because they were

the babies of the family. Laurel always knew they could handle anything, but Charles always needed lots and lots of convincing before

he admitted he was wrong about his 2 babies' capabilities.

"Papi, I love you, but you know you can't protect me forever," Angel said softly.

"I know, Baby Girl, I know," Charles said. "You can't blame me wanting no harm to come to any of my children, especially to my only daughter. I'm sorry if I've upset you. I just need to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm not upset, Daddy. I'm fine. Really."

"Okay, okay, okay. I believe you," he said with a smile. "Anyway, your mama said that she met that boy you were seeing 2 years ago."

* * *

Angel rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "'That boy' you're referring to has a name. It's Robert. He goes by that or Bobby."

Charles grunted. "Hmmph. Until I meet him, he has no name. I will refer to him as 'that boy.'"

"Daddy, that's mean." "Like hell it is! I didn't call Garvin by his name until you two had been married for 5 years. You forget, Baby Girl, he was 'that boy' while you were dating. I started calling him 'that motherfucker' when y'all got engaged."

Angel shook her head. Charles was being just like his own father, who would begrudgingly let potential mates for his children into the family. If he or she did something that was wrong in his eyes, he would let it be known how displeased he was. "Bobby is very nice," she said.

* * *

"All I know is that he's white, a cop and tall enough to be playing for the Knicks. How old is he, Angelica?"

"What difference does his age make?"

"Nothing, but I still want to know."

"If it doesn't make any difference, I'm not telling you."

"Oh, Lord!" Charles exclaimed. "He's older than me! I knew it! I knew it! That's why Laurel didn't tell me!"

"Daddy, please! Quit exaggerating!" Angel said. "He's not as old as you." She sighed. "If you must know, Bobby will be turning 45 tomorrow."

"45?! 45!? Hell, he might as well be 57! He's older than all of you kids. You just couldn't find someone close to your own age, could you?!"

Angel smacked her forehead. "Oy vey," she muttered under her breath. "I don't care about Bobby's age! I like him for who he is. A very sweet, kind and gentle person."

"Those are very nice qualities, mi hija, but you should be with someone your own age. Someone you would have something in common with."

"What makes you think I don't have anything in common with Bobby?!" she asked in disbelief. "We can talk to each other about anything and everything."

"He's older than you, Baby Girl. He's lived longer than you have. His life experiences are probably more extensive than yours," Charles countered. "He's seen more than you have."

"Daddy, just say what you're really thinking. You think when Bobby turns 50 and goes through his midlife crisis, he'll dump me for a younger woman."

* * *

Charles was silent for a moment before he replied, "That's exactly what I'm thinking. You don't need be with someone who will break your heart and turn on you for someone younger than you."

Angel sighed heavily. "Daddy, sometimes you are unbelievable. You're condemning him before you even meet him. That's so unfair. At least give him a chance before you pass judgment on him."

"Is that boy really worth all the heartache you're going to have?"

"I would like to try to have a relationship with him, so I'll go through whatever heartache comes along."

"Do you love this boy? Is he The One?" Angel was quiet for a few seconds before replying, "Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, if you are willing to find out, then I'm willing to give him a chance to get in my good graces." Charles sighed heavily. "I want what's the best for you."

Angel smiled. "Yes, Daddy. I know you do. Bobby's a good person. You'll see."

"Alright, Baby Girl, I better let you go. Me and your mama are going over to Howard and Evelyn's house for dinner and to play cards."

"Okay, Papi. I'll talk to you later."

"Te amo, mi hija. Bye."

"Te amo, Papi. Bye"

* * *

Angel pressed the 'speaker' button to end the call. She sighed as she turned around to lean against the counter. Talking to her father

drained her sometimes. She let out a small chuckle as she remembered the conversation she had with him regarding Garvin 15 years

ago. Charles had the same concern then as he did now: was this man good enough to make his daughter happy. Angel knew her

father was just trying to make sure his sons and daughter picked the right person that they wanted to spend their entire life with. His

own father-in-law asked the same questions of Laurel when she decided that Charles was The One. As Angel pushed herself off the

counter to head towards her bedroom, she muttered to herself, "If I'm ever like this with my children, I swear I'll shoot myself in the foot."

* * *

Bobby was in the bathroom, standing with a towel wrapped around his waist in front of the mirror shaving when Angel came back

into the room to get dressed. "How should I dress for tonight?" he asked, sticking his head out the door. She turned away from the

closet to look at him. "Jeans and a t-shirt will be fine," she replied. "We won't do the fancy dress up stuff until the holidays." Bobby

frowned at the small look of sadness that crossed over Angel's face. "You okay?" She forced herself to smile. "I'm good." She

turned back towards the closet to pull out some dark denim capris with cargo pockets and a long sleeve t-shirt, the arms and

shoulders of it were white, the rest of it was gray to match her eyes with a thin black stripe separating the colors. Bobby turned back

to finish his shaving, making a mental note to find out why his Angel was sad.

* * *

By the time Bobby had come out of the bathroom, Angel was gone out of the bedroom. He heard the water running in the other

bathroom. He got dressed, except for his socks and shoes, and went looking for her. She was brushing her teeth when he got there.

He stood in the doorway and looked at her. "I…I wish you would talk to me, " he said softly before walking off towards the

bedroom. Angel had a puzzled look on her face. _"What the hell?" _she thought. She finished brushing her teeth and went looking for

Bobby. He was sitting on the foot of the bed, putting on his socks, when she came in. She sat down next to him and ran her fingers

through his hair. "What's the matter? Did I say or do something wrong?" she asked.

* * *

Bobby turned his head to look at Angel. "I saw sadness in your face earlier. If I'm the reason behind that, I want to know." Angel

shook her head. "No, no, no. You didn't do anything." She sighed as she turned to sit Indian style. She looked into his eyes and

smiled. He smiled back. "Mi papi es muy difícil," she said. Realizing that she was about to start speaking in Spanish, Angel stopped to

take a deep breath and then let it go. Bobby reached over and squeezed her hand. "Your dad is being difficult," he said with a smile.

"That I understood." Angel let out a small chuckle. "That was him on the phone earlier. In a nutshell, he's ticked about what

happened at the funeral so he wants me to move back home so that he can protect me." Bobby nodded his head. "Oh. I see. Are…

are you going back to Nashville?" he asked. "No. I don't want to go back home," Angel replied. "I just have to keep reminding him

that I'm not a little kid anymore."

* * *

Angel looked down at her hands, then looked at Bobby. "Mami told Papi about you," she said quietly. He blinked a couple of times

before turning his head to look at the floor. "Good things or bad things?" he asked. She reached over to hold his hand in both of hers.

"Good things. Very good things. But Papi is very…stubborn and hard headed when it comes to his children and their

boyfriends/girlfriends/significant others." Bobby grunted and shook his head. _"We're over before we even start," _he thought to

himself. "So, I am the reason you are sad," he said. "No, you are not the reason," Angel answered. She sighed. "For as long as me

and my brothers have been old enough to date, Daddy always passed judgment on the people we brought home for him and Mama

to meet, especially me and James, my youngest brother." Still holding Bobby's hand, she reached over and ran her fingers through his

hair, then stroked his cheek. "He's just like Papa Lenny, his father, and Papa James, Mami's father. No one is good enough for their

children, especially their daughters. I had the same conversation with Daddy after he met Garvin."

* * *

Bobby continued looking at the floor. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before asking, "May I ask what concerns your

father has about me?" "Papi thinks you're too old for me and that when you turn 50, you'll go through a midlife crisis and dump me

for someone younger," Angel replied. He looked at her. "Is that what you think?" She shook her head. "Your age doesn't matter to

me." "But it will be a problem between you and your dad, right?" She let out a small laugh. "No, it won't. Daddy may be stubborn

and hard headed, but he knows as long as I'm happy, he can't keep harping on something that doesn't matter." They kept looking at

each other, a comfortable silence settling over them.

* * *

"Are we okay?" Bobby asked. Angel nodded. She reached over and put her arms around his neck. They held onto each other for a

little while, sighing contently. Without saying any words to each other, Bobby and Angel both had decided in their hearts that they

would give this relationship a chance.**

* * *

Saturday, August 19  
****Sakura Japanese Restaurant, 5:45 p.m.**

"How are you guys doing tonight?" the spiky haired bartender asked. Drew, Janelle, Angel and Bobby were sitting at the bar of the

very busy restaurant. They were going to have to wait for 20 minutes before a grill became available. "We're doing good, thanks,"

Drew said. "What can I get for all of you?" "You got any Jose Cuervo 1800?" Janelle asked. "Yes, ma'am. We do." "Cool. Set us

up with 2 shots each, please." "You got it," the bartender said as he walked off. Angel rolled her eyes. "Good grief, Janelle! You

trying to get us all falling down drunk?" Janelle laughed. "No. I'm trying to get us loosened up. Don't hate because I thought of it

first." Angel laughed. The bartender came back carrying a tray with 8 shot glasses filled with the honey brown liquid, 8 slices of lime

and a salt shaker. He placed napkins on the bar in front of each person before he put the glasses, salt and limes down. Bobby started

to reach for his wallet, but Drew reached over and touched his shoulder, shaking his head. "Your money is no good tonight, man," he

said. "Everything's on us." "You sure? I should at least pay half," Bobby said. Drew shook his head and said firmly, "No. Now drink

up." Drew gave the bartender $25, telling him to keep the change. The bartender gave him a big smile, thanked him and walked off.

* * *

The happy foursome toasted each other before downing their drinks. Bobby was impressed that Angel knew how to do tequila shots.

"You do a lot of tequila shots during college?" he asked playfully. Angel shook her head. "I was usually the designated driver. I

learned by watching." Bobby leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Maybe we can do body shots later. I could teach you a thing

or 2." She blushed as she exclaimed, "Oh my!" Drew and Janelle looked at each other, laughing. "Oh, Lord! We're going to have to

get them a hotel room before the night is over," Janelle said. Angel nudged her in the side with her elbow. "Girl, behave!" she said,

laughing. "I am behaving. You the one getting your groove on at a bar in a public place. You got some nerve telling me to behave."

* * *

Drew just rolled his eyes while Bobby laughed at the friendly banter between Angel and Janelle. He could see the close knit bond

they had between each other. "I almost didn't recognize you without a suit on," a female voice said from behind Bobby. He turned

around and saw Dr. Rogers standing there with a smile on her face. "Hey, Dr. Rogers. Good to see you," he said as stood up to

shake her hand. He noticed that she was wearing a white t-shirt and khaki pants. "I'm not used to seeing you without your scrubs

on." She laughed. "I do manage to sneak away from work every now and then." Dr. Rogers noticed Angel sitting next to Bobby. She

smiled as she extended her hand towards her. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Pierson-Saint John." Angel shook her hand and said,

"Same here, Dr. Rogers. Please call me Angel." "Alright, then. Angel it is. You can call me Liz." Dr. Rogers looked at Bobby, one

eyebrow raised. He shrugged slightly.

* * *

Angel pointed to Drew and Janelle. "Liz, these are my friends, Janelle and Drew Spencer. Guys, this is Dr. Liz Rogers. She's 

the medical examiner that did DeMarco's autopsy." They all shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. A young auburn haired

woman, who looked to be in her late 20's, the same height and size as Dr. Rogers walked up to the group. "I leave you alone for a

couple minutes and you start making new friends already," the woman said, shaking her head. Dr. Rogers put her arm around the

woman's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Don't be a smartass with your aunt, kiddo." She turned to the group and said, "This is

my niece, Candace, 3rd year medical student and all around lovable pain in the tushy." "Aunt Liz!" Candace exclaimed as the group

laughed. Everyone took turns introducing themselves.

* * *

"Some friends and I saw you perform at Club Silkie's last night," Candace said to Angel. "You were incredible!" Angel blushed.

"Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the show." Candace reached into her purse and pulled out a digital camera. "Would

you mind taking a picture with me?" she asked. "Sure." Candace stepped up to Bobby and asked, "Do you mind taking the picture?

I'd like Aunt Liz to be in it with me." "No, I don't mind," he answered with a smile as he took the camera from her. Angel stepped

over to stand between them. Bobby managed to snap 2 pictures before the hostess said over the intercom, "Spencer, party of 4.

Rogers, party of 2. Jackson, party of 6. Your tables are ready." "That's us," Drew said. Bobby handed Candace's camera back to

her. He brought up the rear of the group as they followed the hostess to their table.

* * *

Angel smiled as she watched Bobby interact with Janelle and Drew while their food was being prepared. It looked like he was having 

a great time. At least, he was getting used to Janelle's sense of humor and personality. She knew that they would try make him feel

like he was a part of their family, instead of an outsider. She loved them for that. She remembered back to when Garvin was on his

deathbed. He regained consciousness long enough to tell Drew and Janelle to look after his wife and make sure the right man came

along to make her happy. To Angel, if Bobby could get along with Drew and Janelle, he could deal with anything her father and

brothers may do or say to him.

* * *

Janelle nudged Angel in the side, leaned over and whispered, "You are too quiet. What's wrong." She shook her head. "Nada. Just 

thinking," she whispered back. "Oh. Good stuff? Bad stuff?" "Good stuff." Janelle nodded. "You happy?" she asked. "Yeah." "Well,

that's all that matters then." Janelle smiled as she watched Bobby walked back to the table, a smile on his face as he kissed Angel's

cheek. _"This is the happiest I've seen her in a while," _Janelle thought to herself. _"I hope he knows he's getting a wonderful _

_woman."_

* * *

After dinner, the 2 couples went to Dave and Buster's. Angel and Janelle ran around like a couple of little girls, trying every game

there was in the place. "They always like this at Dave and Buster's?" Bobby asked Drew. They were sitting a booth while their

women went off to play skeeball. Angel and Janelle did better than the guys on the shooting games, but they got their asses beat in the

racing games ("No one beats me in racing," Bobby boasted to Angel.). "Oh, yeah!" Drew exclaimed. "They will be the last ones out

of here when this place closes if you let them." Their male server came and placed 2 Cokes on their table. "You want to run a tab?"

he asked. Drew nodded. "Yes, please. Thanks." The server nodded and walked off. "You having fun?" Drew asked. Bobby nodded

as he took a sip of his Coke. "I'm having a great time. Thank you for everything." "You're welcome, man. My pleasure."

* * *

Bobby and Drew were able to see Janelle and Angel from where they were sitting. Drew noticed how Bobby was looking at Angel.

"Angel's a very good woman," he said. Bobby nodded, not taking his eyes off her. "She's very special. Any man would be happy to

have her in his life," he said wistfully. "You planning on keeping her in yours?" Bobby looked at Drew, then at his drink. "I hope so,"

he said. Drew nodded. That's all he needed to know. They turned their attention back to watching Janelle and Angel have fun as they

started talking about sports and other things.**

* * *

Sunday, August 20  
****Angel's home, 2:30 a.m.**

Bobby sighed as he took off his clothes, placing them on the chair next to the hamper. He put on just his lounging pants, deciding to

skip putting on a t-shirt. Angel had already changed into her nightgown and had left the bedroom. He sat down on the edge of the

bed, facing the door. He didn't want to get into the bed and risk falling asleep without Angel next to him. He assumed 'The Thinker'

position, elbow resting on his thigh, his face in his hand. He looked at the floor as he was thinking. _"It's my 45__th__ birthday and I'm _

_happy. Weird." _he thought. _"Of course with my luck, that's subject to change." _Bobby looked up as Angel appeared in the

doorway. She was holding 2 Hostess cupcakes with a candles in each one on a plate in her hands. He laughed as she walked in,

singing 'Happy Birthday.'

* * *

Angel stopped in front Bobby, holding the cupcakes out to him. "Make a wish," she said. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened

them, blowing out both candles in one breath. She took the candles out and placed them on the plate. She sat down next to Bobby

and gave him a cupcake. "Cheers," he said, holding up the cupcake. Angel took the other cupcake and 'clinked' it to Bobby's. After

they were finished eating, she put the plate on the dresser. Bobby got under the summer quilt while Angel went into the bathroom to

turn on the nightlight. She came back out and got under the quilt, snuggling into Bobby's arms, her hands on his chest. They looked

and smiled at each other. "Did you have a good time?" Angel asked. "I had a great time," Bobby answered. "Thank you for inviting me."

* * *

Angel reached up and put her hand on Bobby's cheek. "You're welcome." He closed his eyes and smiled, nuzzling his face in her

hand. Angel covered her mouth as she felt a yawn coming. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to yawn in your face." He chuckled. "It's okay.

I'm feeling kinda sleepy myself." They kissed each other before Bobby turned to lay on his back. Angel stayed on her side, one arm

laid across his body. "Good night, Bobby." He gave her a small squeeze. "Good night, Angel." Angel fell asleep quickly, while Bobby

remained awake, looking up at the ceiling in the dark. _"This relationship won't be easy, Angel," _he thought as sleep started to

overtake him, _"but I hope you have the strength, patience and understanding to want to make it work."_


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes: Another chapter without any really bad swearing. Woo hoo! LOL. LO:CI characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just taking them for a spin. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)****

* * *

Sunday, August 20  
****Ellis' Market Parking Lot, 6:00 a.m.**

Angel stifled a yawn as she parked her car at the local grocery store that was 4 blocks from her home. She was up this early because

Bobby had started tossing and turning around 4:30 a.m., finally settling back down around 5:00. Instead of trying to go back to sleep,

she slipped out of the bed, took a shower in the other bathroom and got dressed to come to the market. She needed to get a few

things to make breakfast anyway. She made a mental note to herself to see about getting her California king size bed out of storage.

Her queen size bed was just fine, but if Bobby was going to be spending the night from time to time at her home, she needed to give

him more room. Angel smiled to herself as she realized she hadn't been kicked out of a bed in over 4 years. She was about to get out

of the car when the tune of "Boogie Shoes" started coming from her cell phone.

* * *

"Buenas días, Mami," Angel said.

"Buenas días, baby," Laurel said with a smile. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Ma. How are you? Everything okay?" Angel glanced at her watch, noting that it was after 5:00 a.m. in Nashville. Both of her parents were early risers, but it was unusual for them to be up this early on a Sunday morning. They usually slept in until 7:00.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Everything's okay. Hold on a sec. I'm gonna put you on the speaker phone." "Okay, Ma."

The phone went silent in Angel's ear for about 5 seconds before she heard a beep. "Can you hear me, Angel?"

"Yes, ma'am. I can hear you."

"Good. I'm gonna get your daddy."

* * *

Angel held the phone away from her ear as she heard Laurel shout loudly, "Charles! Come here!" Angel winced as she thought to herself, _"Uh oh! Daddy must have done something really wrong. That's the "you're-in-big-trouble" tone."_

She heard her dad walk into the room and say, "Laurel, you ain't got to shout! I'm right here. Damn!" Angel covered her mouth to

keep from laughing out loud as she heard something clang loudly against the stovetop. She imagined Laurel must have had her cast

iron skillet in her hand, looked at it and then flipped it over twice by the handle before slamming it down. Whenever Laurel was mad

at Charles, she usually did that. Laurel calmly said, "Your youngest child is on the phone. You talk to her and apologize. NOW."

Angel raised her eyebrows in surprise. _"Dang,__ Papi__! What did you do?"_

* * *

Charles cleared his throat before saying, "Morning, Baby Girl."

"Morning, Daddy," Angel said skeptically. "Um, everything okay?"

He cleared his throat again. "Everything's fine. Just fine." In the background, Laurel hissed through her teeth, "Charles Nathaniel, quit stalling!" "Laurel Marie, quit rushing me!" he hissed back.

Angel let a small laugh. "Okay. Y'all are calling each other by your full names. Will somebody please tell me what's going on?"

Charles sighed heavily and cleared his throat. He replied, "Your mama brought to my attention that I was hasty in my judgment of 'that boy' you've been seeing."

"Oh. Really? How so?" Angel asked with a smile. She knew her mother was about as subtle as a Mack truck driving through the streets.

He sighed again. "She informed me that in Jasper's eagerness to tell me about what happened to you at the funeral, he failed to tell me that 'that boy' was the one who came to your rescue." To his wife he said, "Wipe that smug look off your face, Laurel."

Charles' voice softened as he said, "Anyway, Baby Girl, I just wanted to apologize for judging 'that boy' so harshly."

"Papi, his name is Bobby," Angel said.

He sighed heavily and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "I will give…Bobby a chance. He did save my only daughter after all." A big smile covered Angel's face. "So, uh, how many cool points does he get?" "He's only getting 25 points. That's my limit!"

Father and daughter laughed together. "Thank you, Daddy," Angel said. "Bobby's a very good person. You'll see."

"Yes, we'll see. Here's your mama. I'm going to get the newspaper."

"Bye, Papi. Te amo."

"Te amo, Angel."

* * *

Angel heard Laurel kiss Charles before picking up the handset. "You okay, mi hija?" Laurel asked.

"Yes, I am," Angel replied. "Is Daddy out of the doghouse now?"

Laurel laughed. "He was never in the doghouse. Just on my list of misinformed people. When he told me what the two of you talked about yesterday, I knew I had to set him straight." She sighed. "I know your daddy means well, but there are times I wish he wouldn't make snap judgments before getting to know your boyfriends."

Angel laughed. "Daddy not give any of my boyfriends a hard time? You must have him mixed up with somebody else." They laughed. "Yeah, that's right," Laurel said, "I did almost forget who I was talking about."

"We went out last night with Drew and Janelle," Angel said.

"Really? Did you guys have fun?" Laurel asked.

"We did. We went to a Japanese restaurant and Dave and Buster's."

Laurel let out a small laugh. "Oh my! Did you and Janelle close the place down?" Angel chuckled. "No. Drew wouldn't let us."

* * *

She stayed quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I think Drew and Janelle really like Bobby. You remember how Garvin and Janelle used to throw out quirky trivia facts to each other? To see who could out quirk who?" 

Laurel clicked her tongue. "Let me guess. Janelle has found a new playmate?"

"Ma, Bobby gave Janelle a run for her money! She had to dig deep into her brain to come up with something he didn't know. She was thinking so hard, you could hear her brain gears grinding." They laughed again.

* * *

"Today is Bobby's birthday," Angel said quietly.

"Oh. How nice. Tell him I said happy birthday," Laurel replied. "You doing anything special for him?"

"I'm at the grocery store right now. I need to get some things to make breakfast for him." "Oh, okay."

"Alex and her family is throwing a party for him this afternoon."

"Wow, sounds like you're going to be busy today."

"I don't know if I'm going to the party." Laurel was stunned. "Huh? Why not?" she asked.

"Oh, Mami. This is Bobby's family and friends I'd be meeting today. I'd be a nervous wreck meeting all of those people. What if I don't meet up to their standards?"

"Baby Girl, don't worry about that. Just be yourself. The lovable, respectable and funny person Charles and I raised."

Angel sighed. "I know you're right, Mami, but I can't help it. It feels like I'm 4 years old again and meeting Uncle Howard and Aunt Evelyn and their kids. Being shunned because I got your looks. Being picked at and made to feel unwelcome any time I said or did anything around them."

* * *

Laurel grunted. She remembered how it was when she and her family came back home to the States. When they pulled up to her

parents' home in Kirkland, TN, a small country town about 35 miles outside of Nashville, Howard, Evelyn and their kids Howie,

Dawn and Eve, along with the rest of hers and Charles' families, came out to greet them. As soon as Evelyn and her daughters laid

their eyes on little Angel, they greeted her with icy looks before turning around and going back inside. Laurel got along with her sister-

in-law really well, but she knew Evelyn had always been envious of her looks, especially the gray eyes. Evelyn would make off-

handed snide or rude comments, trying to make Laurel feel bad. Laurel just shrugged them off. About 3 weeks into their stay for the

summer, Laurel noticed how sometimes Evelyn would totally ignore Angel. Or sometimes she would snap at her for asking a simple

childlike question. Laurel also noticed how Dawn and Eve picked at Angel, telling her nobody liked her or wanted her around. Every

night at bed time, Laurel would hold and comfort her baby girl, reassuring her that she was loved and wanted by her family and

friends. She and Charles had talked to Howard and Evelyn about her and the girls' behavior, especially about Evelyn's envious

attitude spilling over to the girls, who in turn were taking it out on Angel. Slowly, but surely, over time, Evelyn and her daughters'

attitudes improved, but Laurel knew as Angel got older, the nervousness she experienced when meeting new people would be

magnified 50 times stronger whenever she met a new friend's or boyfriend's family.

* * *

"You will be just fine, mi hija," Laurel said softly. "Just take deep breaths to calm yourself and relax. Don't worry about what others think of you. If they don't like you, that's their loss, not yours."

Angel smiled to herself. _"How many times have I heard that simple piece of advice?" _she thought to herself. She sighed and said, "Thanks, Mami."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"I better let you go, Mami, so I can get my shopping done and get to the house before Bobby starts wondering where I am."

"Okay, sweetie. Have a good day. I love you. Bye"

"I love you, too, Ma. Bye."

* * *

Angel closed her phone and put it in the front pocket of her lightweight hooded jacket. She had a big smile on her face and light spring in her step as she got out of the car. She felt a little better about going to Bobby's birthday party. _"And I got __Papi__ to call Bobby by his name. Yay!"_ she thought to herself as she headed into the store.**

* * *

Sunday, August 20**  
**Angel's Home, 6:15 a.m.**

Bobby tossed and turned a few times, trying to banish the memory of the last time he and Alannah were together from his head.

Finally, he sat up in frustration. "Shit!" he muttered to himself. He sighed heavily as he shook his head, wondering to himself why he

had any doubts that Angel was the one for him.**

* * *

One year ago**  
**Saturday, August 20  
****Regal Regency Hotel, 7:00 a.m.**

"_That was fun," Alannah purred as she rolled off of Bobby and laid down on the bed. He smiled as he stretched to his full _

_height. "Oh, most definitely," he said. Their birthday weekend of unbridled sex had begun yesterday afternoon after he got _

_off work. Alannah came by 1PP to pick him in her brand Mercedes-Benz. When Bobby got into the car, he was greeted with _

_the sight of Alannah wearing a lightweight trench coat that was hanging open, revealing her naked beautifully toned and _

_alabaster body. She glanced at him sideways with a smug grin on her face as she took off to head towards their hotel. _

_Somehow she managed to drive and caress his dick at the same time.__

* * *

Bobby propped himself up one elbow. He smiled at Alannah as he stroked her cheek. She smiled at him, then frowned. _

"What's wrong?" he asked. She continued frowning as she ran her fingers through his hair, sucking her teeth. "You're

getting gray," she replied. He chuckled. "Of course I'm getting gray. I'm getting older." She shook her head disapprovingly.

"It makes you look old. Plus, you need a haircut, especially if we're going to dinner tonight with Whitley and Carson. They'd

love nothing better than gossiping to our friends that I was fucking an old man." Alannah sat up and reached for the hotel

telephone. She dialed the hotel's salon, asking for and getting a 10:00 appointment for that morning. Bobby felt a little

insulted that Alannah thought he didn't look good enough to her._

* * *

After Alannah got off the phone, Bobby sat up and said huffily, "I think I look fine." Alannah patted his cheek _

condescendingly as she kissed his nose. "Oh, don't be upset. You look okay, but with a nice haircut and a color rinse, you'll

look great." She reached under the covers and rubbed his inner thigh. "Do this for me? Please?" she asked, batting her

eyelashes and pouting. Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes, giving in to Alannah's power of persuasion. "Fine. Whatever," he

said in defeat. She laughed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you," she said before jumping out of the bed._

* * *

Bobby sighed as he watched Alannah get up and start picking out clothes to wear. He really did like her. "Hell, she's the _

closest thing to having a girlfriend I've had in awhile," he thought. This had been the 4_th__ time he had seen her this year, _

_instead of the usual once a year thing. "Maybe it's time we become more committed in this relationship." Bobby cleared his _

_throat and said, "Since you don't have to leave for California until Friday, I was thinking I'd take a couple of days off from _

_work so that we could spend some time together at my place." Alannah made a face. "Why would we do that?" "I thought _

_you might like to have a home cooked meal for a change instead of going out to some restaurant and have a change of _

_scenery." She laughed. "Oh, Robert, that sounds so…homey. A little too homey, actually." She shook her head as she _

_continued laughing. "I won't have any time for you or any of that this week. I'm picking Enrico up from the airport Sunday _

_night. We've already got our week planned out together." __

* * *

Alannah walked over to Bobby and patted his cheek again. "Robert, we've already spent our time together this weekend. _

Why would we spend any more time together?" she asked. Bobby was stung by her patronizing attitude towards their

relationship. It felt like he had been sucker punched in the stomach. As difficult as it was, Bobby managed to hide his

disappointment. "Since we'd seen each other more than usual this year, I thought we'd get in some more time together," he

replied. Alannah laughed. "Oh, poor misguided Robert. The only reason I saw you the other 3 times this year was because

my other partners backed out on me at the last minute." She patted his cheek and said, "I'll see if I can talk Enrico into

having a threesome. It'd be exciting having both of you in bed at the same time." Alannah walked off with a smile, not

seeming to care that she just crushed Bobby's feelings of commitment to dust.

* * *

Bobby turned his head to look at Angel, but she wasn't there. He sat very still, listening to see where she was, but the house was very 

quiet. He then realized that she wasn't in the house at all. He reached over and turned on the nightstand lamp that was next to him.

Bobby saw the folded piece of paper laying on top of his cell. He picked it up, unfolded it and read aloud, "Gone to store. Back

soon. Angel." He smiled to himself as he laid the note back on the nightstand table and slid under the summer quilt. He sat up and

groaned loudly as his cell phone started ringing.

* * *

"Goren," he said.

"Happy birthday, sleepyhead," Alex said.

He chuckled. "Thanks, Alex." He looked at the digital clock. "Alex, it's 6:30 in the morning. What are you doing up so early?"

"Oh, this house has been buzzing with excitement since 5:30." "5:30! Where in the world are you?"

She laughed. "I spent the night over at Mom and Dad's. Actually, we all spent the night. Kids and grandkids. Mom thought it would be a good idea if we were all together to get ready for your party. I think the kids are more excited than the adults."

"Really? How so?"

"The kids have been working all week on your birthday gift. It's so top secret that even Brianna won't tell me." Brianna was Bryce and Jill's 12 year old daughter. She considered her Aunt Alex to be her most trusted confidant next to her mother. "Wow! Your biggest source of family gossip and information won't tell you anything?" Bobby said. "It must be huge."

* * *

"Maybe I could tickle it out of her," Alex said offhandedly. "Anyway, I just wanted to find out if there is anything else special you'd like to have at the party." 

Bobby thought for a second. "There's nothing I can think of right now. I'll leave it up to you and your mom."

Alex sighed, then asked, "So, are Angel and Alannah coming?" Bobby quietly answered, "Alannah is definitely coming with someone else. I don't know about Angel."

"Oh, God," Alex muttered under her breath. She just sighed heavily. "Okay."

"Alannah won't make a scene if that's what you're thinking, Alex."

"That's not what I'm thinking, but thanks for saying that anyway."

"Are you mad? Disappointed?" She let out a small chuckle. "No, I'm not mad or disappointed, Bobby. I'm just wondering how in the world I ended up being partnered with Mr. Honest." "You drew the short straw, I guess." Alex laughed a little harder.

* * *

Bobby heard someone knocking on the door in the background. "Well, that's my cue to get off the phone," Alex said. "What time did I tell you to get here?"

"By 3:30, no later than 4:00," Bobby replied.

"Good. Because I told your guests to be here by 3:00. Mom wants everyone here before you arrive."

He heard more knocking in the background. "You better go before they break the door down," he said playfully.

"Ain't that the truth. I'll see you later, Bobby."

"Later, Alex."

* * *

Bobby had barely hung up from Alex when his phone rang again. He flipped it open and said, "Goren."

"Happy birthday, Bobby," the soft female voice said.

Bobby's mouth dropped open in surprise upon hearing Carolyn Barek's voice. "Carolyn, hi. Thank you. How are you?"

"I'm doing good. How are you? Did I wake you?"

"I…I'm good. No, you didn't wake me. I had just finished talking with Alex when you called."

"Okay, good. I didn't want to disturb you," she said with a smile.

"It's so good to hear from you, Carolyn. Are you coming to the party?"

Carolyn chuckled. "I told Alex you'd figure out who she invited to your party. She didn't believe me."

Bobby replied, "I haven't said anything to her. I'm pretending not to know."

"That's what I thought. Anyway, I'm not coming. That's why I called. Alex had called me on Tuesday to invite me, but I was already here in Boston for my cousin's wedding."

Bobby felt a little disappointed. "Thanks for calling me," he said.

"You're welcome. The next time I'm back in New York, I'll treat everybody to lunch. Deal?"

"You've got a deal."

"Okay. I gotta go. My cousin Aria and I are suppose to be meeting her mother in 10 minutes. You have a good day and I'll talk to you soon. Bye, Bobby."

"Bye, Carolyn."

* * *

Bobby closed his phone and laid it on the nightstand table. He decided to take a shower so he threw the quilt back and got up. He

had taken about 3 steps from the bed when his cell phone rang again. Bobby threw his hands up in the air, sighing heavily as he

turned around to answer it. "Good grief, Alex, did you have to invite the whole state of New York to this party?" he muttered to

himself as he picked up the phone, flipping it open. "Goren," he said.

* * *

"What do you think, El?" the female voice asked. "Does he sound old?" "I don't know, Liv," Elliott Stabler replied to his partner, Olivia Benson. "It's hard to tell over the phone. What do you think, Fin? Does Bobby Goren sound old to you?"

Odafin "Fin" Tutuola grunted. "I can't tell either. If you want an expert opinion on being and sounding old, ask the Munchkin over there. He can relate to people over 70."

"Hey!" John Munch exclaimed. "Just because I'm more seasoned than all 3 of you knuckleheads put together, doesn't mean I'm an expert on aging."

"Listen to yourself, Munch," Fin said. "You sounding like a cranky ass old man already. Non-expert, my ass!"

* * *

Bobby sat down as he laughed, listening to the 4 Manhattan Special Victims Unit detectives debate about his state of being old. When he finally recovered, Bobby said, "If I hear one more crack about my age, I'm coming down there and knock some heads together."

"Wow! Did you guys hear that?" Olivia said. "Bobby went from zero to cranky in 1.5 seconds. That's got to be a record."

Elliott said, "You're probably right. Bobby may have entered _The Old People's World Record Book _or something similar to it." Bobby let out a dry chuckle. "Ha, ha, ha."

Olivia laughed. "Okay, guys. On 3, we wish him happy birthday," she said. "Ready? 1, 2, 3."

At the same time, all 4 SVU detectives said, "Happy birthday, Bobby!"

* * *

Bobby laughed and said, "Thanks, guys."

Olivia picked up the receiver and said, "You're welcome."

"So, I take it you guys are coming to the party this afternoon?"

Olivia was surprised. "How did you know we were invited?" "You just confirmed a hunch I had," Bobby answered.

"Don't tell Alex you've figured who she invited to your party. I think she was trying to surprise you." "Believe me. I'm not saying a word."

"Well, we just wanted to let you know that none of us will be able to come to your party. Casey's got a case that has come up that's going to take up her time for about a month, so she's having to bring 2 other ADAs up to speed on our cases that go to trial on Monday. We're meeting with them at 3:00 today."

"Oh, okay. Well, thanks for letting me know. It would been nice to catch up with you guys."

"Same here, Bobby. Listen, maybe all of us can get together after work one night and catch up," Olivia suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea, Olivia," Bobby said. "I'll let Alex know."

"Alright. I'd better get off here and get some paperwork done. Happy birthday, Bobby. Talk to you later."

"Later, Olivia. Thanks. Bye."

* * *

Bobby pressed the 'end' button on the phone and closed it. He laid it down on the nightstand table. He stood up and headed towards

the bathroom. The cell phone rang again, but he chose to ignore it. As he took off his clothes and got into the shower, Bobby shook

his head and chuckled softly. _"Thanks, Alex," _he thought to himself, _"for trying to make this birthday extra special. You're the _

_best partner and friend I've got."_

* * *

By the time Bobby emerged from the bathroom after having showered and shaved, his cell phone was buzzing intermittently, letting

him know that he had missed some calls. He inhaled deeply, the smell of coffee and biscuits invading his nostrils. _"Angel's home," _he

thought with a big smile on his face. He pulled on a pair of boxers and his lounge pants before flipping his phone open. The screen

display showed that he had missed 3 calls and had 3 voice mail messages. He entered the access code to retrieve his messages. The

first 2 messages were from Courtney and Ron Carver. The 3rd message caught Bobby by surprise. It was from his brother Frank.

_"Hey, baby brother. It's me, Frank. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday. Bye." _

* * *

Bobby saved the message, then scrolled through the list of missed phone calls. By the looks of the number, it looked like Frank had

called him from a pay phone, but he made a note to himself to get someone to run down the number for him. He stood there, staring

off into space, wondering why in the hell Frank chose his birthday to reach out to him. He grunted. "Probably wants some money to

feed his habit," he said ruefully as he closed the phone and threw it on the bed. He turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen.

* * *

Angel was placing a carton of orange juice on the table when Bobby walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Handsome," she said. "Happy birthday." Bobby smiled as he walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you," he replied. She pointed to the 4 cup

coffeemaker on the counter. "There's some coffee for you. Breakfast will be ready just as soon as the fries are done." Bobby walked

over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. He leaned against the counter, sipping on the warm beverage. He watched

Angel as she busied herself with getting the food and other items on the table. "You need some help?" he asked. Angel shook her

head, smiling. "No, thank you. You just stand there and enjoy your day."

* * *

Angel had pulled down the oven door when the house phone rang. She pulled out the cookie sheet of thick cut French fries and placed it on the stovetop before pushing the 'speaker' button on the phone.

"Hello," Angel said.

"Good morning, Baby Girl," Janelle said. "What's up?"

"Hey, Janelle," she replied. "Not much. Just fixing breakfast for Bobby."

"Cool. Where is he?"

"I'm right here, Janelle," Bobby replied.

"Happy birthday, old man," Janelle said playfully. "You start receiving your Social Security check this week, right?"

Bobby narrowed his eyes at Angel as she laughed out loud. He rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly. "Janelle, you know I could run you in for verbally abusing a police officer," he said with a grin. She scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like them charges are gonna stick," she replied.

Bobby laughed at Janelle's playful attitude. "Thank you for the birthday wishes." "You're welcome."

* * *

Angel smiled. She was glad that Janelle and Bobby were getting along. "Hey, Janelle," she said. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Can y'all swing by here and pick me up on the way to church? I'm gonna let Bobby use my car so that he can go visit his mom."

"Yeah, sure. We can do that."

Bobby said, "You don't have to do that, Janelle. I'm coming to church with Angel." Janelle muttered, "Oh my," as Angel turned and looked at Bobby with a surprised look on her face. "You sure?" she asked.

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Is that a problem?" Angel shook her head and smiled. "No. No problem at all."

Janelle said, "Bobby, church starts at 11:00. We're usually done by 12:15, 12:30 at the latest. You'll still have time to visit your mom."

* * *

"Thanks for the info, Janelle," Bobby said. "Um, I don't know if Angel told you or not, but Alex and her family are throwing a birthday party for me this afternoon at her parents' house. I'd like for you and Drew to come."

"Oh, thank you for the invite, Bobby," Janelle said. "We've already got plans. My mama is having us, my father-in-law and my brother and his family over for dinner. She's been looking forward to having us together for a week now. I'm sorry."

Bobby shrugged. "That's okay. Swing by the party if you get a chance though." "We'll do that," Janelle said.

In the background, they heard Drew say, "Janelle, the waffles are ready." "Okay. Here I come," Janelle said to him.

To Bobby and Angel, she said, "I'll see y'all at church." "See you later, J," Angel said. "Bye, Janelle," Bobby said.

"Bye."

* * *

Bobby placed his coffee cup on the counter when Angel pressed the 'speaker' button to end the call. He lightly grabbed her wrist to

pull her towards him. She smiled up at him and placed her hands on his chest; he put his arms around her waist. "You sure it's okay if

I come to church with you?" he asked. "It's okay," Angel said. "I just assumed you'd go visit your mom while I was at church. I'm

sorry." Bobby shook his head. "You don't have to apologize to me. I just thought I'd do something different today." Angel let a small

laugh. She said, "As my mom always says, 'You're entitled to do something adventurous for your birthday because it's all about you

for the day.'" Bobby smiled.

* * *

He took a deep breath, then released it. "Would you be upset if I went to visit my mother after church was over? Without you?"

Angel shook her head. "No, I won't get upset," she replied softly. Bobby kissed her forehead. "Thank you. I…I'm not quite ready to

let anyone experience that side of my life yet," he said softly. Angel stroked his cheek. She sympathized with Bobby. Even though he

hadn't talked a lot about his family and childhood, she understood how hard it was for him to let anyone in his life. Angel knew Bobby

would probably let her meet his mother, but she wasn't going to push the issue just yet. "I'll get Janelle and Drew to bring me home

so that I can change clothes," she said.

* * *

Bobby raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're going to the party?" Angel bit her bottom lip, then nodded while looking at the

floor. "Angelica, look at me," Bobby said. He put his finger under her chin to make her look at him. "Whatever happens at this party,

please don't let it effect whatever we decide to do in this relationship. I do care what my friends and extended family think, but the

most important thing to me, above their thoughts and feelings, is your thoughts and feelings. Okay?" Angel smiled and nodded. He

leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Angel pulled back and said, "We better eat before the food gets cold." Bobby nodded in

agreement as he followed her to the table. He let her sit down first before sitting down himself. Bobby smiled to himself as he watched

Angel pour orange juice into the glasses that were on the table. _"I'm very lucky to have you, Angel," _he thought. _"I hope I make _

_you as happy as you make me."_**

* * *

Sunday, August 20**  
**Angel's home 10:05 a.m.**

"Let me tie that for you," Angel said to Bobby. He was standing in the full length mirror that hanging on the front of the bathroom

door, getting ready to tie his tie. "Oh. Okay," he said. He turned around to face her. He smiled as Angel moved the ends of the tie up

and down a couple of times. "When did you learn to tie a tie?" he asked. "Oh, I was about 6 or 7 when I learned." "Your brothers

teach you?" She nodded her head. "And both of my parents. Mami taught us how to tie a bowtie." Bobby's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm impressed. Not many women know how to tie a bowtie." "Thank you. When my brothers got married, I was the official bow

tier for their weddings." Bobby laughed. "You tie the bowties at your wedding, too." Angel giggled. "Yep. Drew put a blindfold over

Garvin's eyes so that I could tie his tie."

* * *

Angel pressed her lips together, a pensive look on her face. "When the morticians were ready to dress Garvin's body, they let me

come in and tie his tie," she said quietly. "It helped me get through my grief." Realizing she had mentioned her late husband, she

quickly finished tying Bobby's tie, then stepped back from him. "I shouldn't have mentioned that," she said sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Bobby took a step towards her, taking both of her hands in his. "It's okay. You can talk about Garvin if you want. He was a big part

of your life. He was your husband." "I know. It's just that…I don't want you to think that I'm comparing you to him." Bobby

caressed her cheek and smiled. "I haven't felt that you're comparing me to him." He pulled her into his arms, giving her a small

squeeze. He looked down at her and said, "I…I want you to feel comfortable telling me anything you want to." Angel nodded. "Same

goes for you, right?" Bobby sighed and nodded. "I'll do my best," he replied. She smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips

before pulling away. "We're better get going or we'll be late," she said, heading out of the bedroom. Bobby grabbed his gym bag and

a suit hanger and followed Angel out of the house.**

* * *

Sunday, August 20**  
**Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 10:54 a.m.**

"Hey, y'all," Drew said to Bobby and Angel as they walked up to him and Janelle in the church's parking lot. "Hey, Drew," they said

at the same time. Drew held out his hand to Bobby and said, "Happy birthday, old man." Bobby laughed as he shook Drew's hand

and gave him a brief hug. "Thanks, Drew." Janelle walked over to Bobby and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday," she

said. "Thanks." Bobby blushed a little. He felt a little embarrassed by the attention he was receiving on his birthday. Angel took

Bobby's hand and led him towards the church's front door. Drew took Janelle's hand, following their friends. When they reached the

door, they were greeted by the pastor. "Good morning, Pastor Overton," Angel said.

* * *

Pastor George Overton was 5'7" with light skin that had been tanned by the sun from the construction work he used to do, squat and

stocky. He reminded Angel of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. He held out his rough, callused hand to shake Angel's hand. "Good morning,

Sister St. John," he said, a wide smile covering his whole face. "How are you today?" "I'm doing good, thank you," Angel said. She

pointed to Bobby and said, "Pastor Overton, this is my friend, Robert Goren. Bobby, this is Pastor Overton." Bobby and Pastor

Overton shook hands. Bobby was taken a little aback by the man's strong grip. "Welcome, Brother Goren. Welcome. I hope you

enjoy your visit," the pastor said as he patted Bobby on the shoulder. "Thank…thank you, sir. I will."

* * *

Bobby followed Angel inside. He noticed that while the majority of the congregation was predominately African-American, there

were Asian, Hispanic and Caucasian people there as well. "Good morning, Sister Kenney. Good morning, Sister Childers," Angel

said to the 2 older, impeccably dressed African-American women who were seated in the hallway near the sanctuary door.

"Morning, Sister Angel," they said in unison. "Good morning, ladies," Bobby said. They looked Bobby up and down, a blank look on

both of their faces, before nodding their heads in unison at him. While they waited near the doors for Drew and Janelle, Angel

reached for Bobby's hand. The 2 ladies gasped loudly. "Sister K, do you see this?" Sister Childers whispered loudly. "I sure do,

Sister C," Sister Kenney replied. She shook her head and grunted. "Hmmph! Gonna have to teach that gal she shouldn't be

consorting with the Devil!"

* * *

Bobby wondered if Angel had heard what those ladies had said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Angel press her lips together

and shake her head. He squeezed her hand; she squeezed back. Angel looked up at Bobby. He searched her face, seeing a little bit

of sadness in her eyes. He smiled at her and mouthed, "Don't worry." She smiled and squeezed his hand again. "Y'all ready to go

inside?" Janelle asked as she and Drew walked up. "Yeah," Angel said softly. Drew put his arm around Angel's shoulders and led her

inside. Janelle put her arm through Bobby's arm and walked him inside. "I wanna apologize for them flipping fuddy duddy old hens

back there," Janelle said to Bobby. "They don't like black folks and white folks mixing together. They won't even shake a white

person's hand." "You don't have to apologize for them," Bobby said. "That's their belief." "I know I don't, but I just want you to be

aware that not all of us are like them." He looked down at Janelle and smiled. He just realized that he got the official seal of approval

from Angel's best friend.**

* * *

Sunday, August 20  
****Carmel Ridge, Frances Goren's room, 12:58 p.m.**

"Good afternoon, Mr. Goren," the nurse, whose name tag read Cassie, whispered as Bobby walked into his mother's room. He had

stopped at the local florist on his way to Carmel Ridge after church service had ended. "Hi, Cassie," he whispered back. Frances

Goren was asleep, with her reading glasses hanging on the tip of her nose and a copy of the New York Times in her lap. The volume

of the TV set was low, tuned to the Home and Garden channel. Cassie finished scribbling on Frances' chart before exiting the room.

Bobby took the week old flowers out of the glass vase and threw them in the trash, replacing them with the fresh flowers he had just

bought. He pushed the curtains open a little bit more to allow more sunlight to come into the room.

* * *

Bobby went and stood at Frances' bedside. He looked down on her and smiled while stroking her hair. _"I wish you could come to _

_the party, Ma" _he thought. _"You'd have a good time." _Bobby sighed heavily. He knew it would be impossible for her to interact

with that many people without feeling like she was being talked about or saying something off the wall. He reached over and took off

her glasses, which caused her to stir. Frances looked up at him drowsily. "Bobby?" she said. "Hey, Ma," he said, kissing her

forehead.

* * *

Bobby placed Frances' eyeglasses on the table beside her, then dragged a chair over to sit in. Frances sat quietly and watched

Bobby sit down. She reached over and tugged at his tie. "You look unusually spiffy today," she said. "What's the occasion?" "I…I

went to church today with a friend." Frances blinked her eyes a couple of times. "You? Went to church?" She patted her heart as she

rocked back and forth. "Good Lord! I hope you didn't give Father Quinn a heart attack by showing up at his church today." Bobby

chuckled. "No, Ma. I didn't go to Father Quinn's church." She stopped rocking and narrowed her eyes at her son. "Where did you

go? A Protestant church?" she asked suspiciously. "I went to a Baptist church today."

* * *

Frances sniffed. "Hmmph. Well, as long you went to a church, I suppose it's okay." She leaned back and folded her arms across her

chest. "Who is this friend of yours, Bobby? What's her name?" Bobby tilted his head to the side. "What makes you think my friend is

a female, Mom?" Bobby asked. Frances shook her index finger at him before leaning forward to tug on his tie again. "I'm

schizophrenic, Bobby, not stupid." She pulled on his tie to make him lean towards her. "What's her name? It's not that Irene again, is

it?" Bobby put his hand around Frances' hand. Mostly to ease her tension, mainly to keep her from choking him. "It's not Irene, Ma,"

he said. She gave him a leery look before letting go of his tie and slipping her hand out from under his hand. Frances leaned back

against her pillows as Bobby leaned back in the chair. "I thought you liked Irene," he said. "Oh, please! Anyone who has a deadline

for when she expects a man to propose to her and issues an ultimatum when that deadline is not met is NOT a likable person."

* * *

"_She's got a point," _Bobby thought. "Angelica Pierson-St. John. That's my friend's name." "She divorced?" He shook his head.

"Widowed." "Oh." Bobby cleared his throat and said softly, "I'm gonna leave early today, Ma. Alex…Alex and her family are

throwing a birthday party for me later on this afternoon." Frances sat up straight. "What is today's date?" she asked. "August 20th."

She covered her mouth as she smiled, looking at Bobby. She uncovered her mouth and said quietly, "That's right. Today is my baby

boy's birthday." She reached out and squeezed Bobby's hand. "Happy birthday, Bobby." He smiled. "Thanks, Ma." She sighed. "I

didn't get you anything. I'm sorry, sweetheart." He shook his head as he held Frances' tiny hand in both of his. "That's okay. You

didn't have to get me anything."

* * *

Bobby was actually feeling very happy at this moment. The fact that his mother told him happy birthday was one of the best gifts he

could have received today. "Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and have some ice cream to celebrate?" he asked. Frances

nodded. She pushed the newspaper aside and got out of the bed. Bobby helped her put on her robe and slippers. Bobby and

Frances Goren walked out of her room, arm in arm, talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Check out my profile to see what's coming up in the next chapter. Peace, love and hair grease. :o) 


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's notes: I know. I know. It took me a whole month to post something. LOL My apologies. Real life decided it had to intrude with the writing. Anyway, this chapter is rated M for the foul language. I make reference to the 'Blind Spot' episode because I forgot that it took place during the month of July. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Thanks to everyone who have been waiting patiently for the party to get started. Read, review and enjoy. :o)****

* * *

Sunday, August 20  
****Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 1:20 p.m.**

Alex was standing at the counter near the kitchen sink making another pitcher of lemonade while her mother Janet was forming

hamburger patties, placing them in a large aluminum pan when the house telephone rang. "Lexi, would you get that for me, please?

I don't want to get any germs on the phone." "Sure, Mom." Alex put the lemonade in the fridge and picked up the cordless phone.

"Eames Residence," she said. "Yeah. Hold on a second." As Alex held the phone up to Janet's ear, she said, "It's for you." Janet

smiled and mouthed "Thank you" to her oldest daughter. "This is Janet," she said into the receiver. "Yes, that's the correct

address. You won't miss the house. There will be yellow, blue and white balloons wrapped around the porch columns. I'll have

someone standing outside waiting for you. Okay. Thank you. Goodbye."

* * *

Alex pressed the 'end' button on the phone and set it back into its charger base. "Mom, who was that?" she asked, leaning against

the counter. Janet went back to forming the hamburger patties as she answered, "That was the baker. He'll be delivering Bobby's

cake around 2:00. Would you mind waiting for him?" Alex nodded. "No problem." "Have you talked to Bobby today?" "Mom,

that's the 20th time you've asked me today," Alex said with a sigh and a laugh. "Yes, I talked to him this morning around 6:30. I

just finished talking to him 10 minutes ago. He's visiting his mom." "Is he going to bring her?" Janet asked hopefully. Alex gave her

a "get real" look. "I was just asking, Alex. Geez. No need to look at me like that." Alex just chuckled. "Mom, everything will be

just fine. Bobby will be happy." "And if he's not, you'll probably throw a right hook at him." "Well, yeah. I could." Janet just

shook her head and laughed.

* * *

"Hey, Mom," Shane said as he walked into the kitchen. He was followed by his 13 year old son, Sean and his 12 year old

nephew, John, Jr., better known to the family as J. J. "We're finished putting the balloons on the columns and railing." "Thanks,

guys," Janet replied. "You're welcome, Grandma," the boys said as they continued walking through the kitchen and out the screen

door. "You're welcome, Mom," Shane said. He stopped and leaned against the counter on the other side of Janet. "You need me

to do anything else?" he asked. Janet shook her head. "I can't think of anything else, sweetheart." Shane looked at his sister and

said, "Have you figured out what Bobby's big surprise is, Alex?" She shook her head. "Every time I say something about it around

the kids, they all scatter away from me like I've got some kind of contagious disease or something."

* * *

Shane chuckled. "I thought I was the only one they were doing that to. All I got out of Sean and J.J. is that it's a 2 part gift."

"Well, you got more information than the rest of us have," Janet said. "Jill just gives me a blank stare whenever I ask her about it."

"Do you think Bryce knows what it is?" Alex and Janet both shook their heads. Alex replied, "If Bryce knew what it was, John

and Shannon would have been the first people he would have told, who in turn would have told us." Shane nodded. Johnny

appeared at the screen door and said, "Shane, could you come help me finish setting up the stereo system?" "Okay, Dad," Shane

said as he pushed himself away from the counter and headed towards the door.

* * *

"Who else did you invite to the party?" Janet asked Alex. Alex started counting off on her fingers. "I invited Carolyn Barek, but

she's not coming because she's in Boston for a wedding. None of the folks from the Manhattan Special Victims Unit I invited are

coming because they're meeting with Casey Novak and some new ADAs about some cases they've worked on." "Please tell me

you weren't too hard on Casey." Alex grunted. "I just let her know how disappointed I was, but she assured me she'd try to keep

the meeting short so that they all could come." "Does Casey still have a crush on Bobby?" Alex's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Mom! You aren't suppose to know about that." Janet rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I saw the way Casey was staring at Bobby

after he danced with her at last year's Law Enforcement event. You couldn't help but notice the stars twinkling in her eyes."

"Please don't say anything about it if she does show up. She'll try have Olivia's neck and mine in a noose." "I promise I won't

say a word."

* * *

Alex gave Janet a leery look before continuing on with the guest list. "Anyway, Captain Deakins and Angie are coming. I'm not

sure about Ron Carver and his wife. Their youngest son, Taylor, broke his foot the other day, so they're not sure if they can get a

babysitter. Antonio Garcia and his girlfriend are coming." "Is he the guy who worked with you when you were in Vice?" Alex

nodded. "He worked with Bobby when he was in Narcotics." "Ah, I see. Is Dr. Rogers coming?" "She said she'd try to come.

Her niece is here for a visit, so she may bring her along. Dr. Warner's on vacation, so she's not coming." "What about Bobby's

friends, Lewis and Rob? Are they still coming?" "Yes. And Rob's bringing his daughter, Courtney. Logan and Wheeler are

coming, too. Megan's bringing her nephew."

* * *

"So, tell me about Rob and Lewis," Janet said. "Are they single? Married?" "They're both single," Alex replied. Janet seemed to

perk up at that bit of information, and Alex noticed that. "Mother," she said warningly, "If you're thinking about trying to play

match maker for me with either one of them, STOP thinking it this instant." "Alexandra Eames! I would not think of doing such a

thing," Janet said innocently, giving Alex her best innocent face. "Uh, huh. Sure you wouldn't, Mom." "I wouldn't. It's sad that you

don't believe your own flesh and blood." Alex just rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say," she said with a sly smile on her face. "I

can have a sincere interest in some man's marital status without trying to match him up with my single daughter," Janet said,

pretending to be offended. Alex just looked at her mother; Janet looked back at her. She finally sighed in defeat, her shoulders

slightly slumping. "Fine! You take all the fun out of playing matchmaker." Alex snickered.

* * *

Janet asked, "What about Alannah? Is she coming?" _"Oh, God! Here we go!" _Alex thought. "According to Bobby, she's

coming…with someone else." Janet stopped what she was doing and looked at Alex. "What do you mean 'she's coming with

someone else?' I thought she and Bobby had a thing for each other." Alex sighed heavily, trying to figure out the best way to tell

her mother about Bobby and Alannah without going into a whole lot of detail about their relationship. Finally, she answered,

"Bobby and Alannah aren't exactly exclusive to each other." "Oh. I see. So, is Alannah trying to make Bobby jealous?" "Not

necessarily." "What does 'not necessarily' mean?" Alex sighed again as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "It means that Bobby

also invited someone that he dated. She's coming to the party, too," she wearily replied. Janet blinked a few times. "Bobby's

trying to make Alannah jealous?" Alex shook her head. "Let's just say that there's no telling who's going to leave with whom when

this party is over."

* * *

Janet shook her head. "Good grief! It sounds like an episode of "Dynasty" or something," she said. Alex patted her shoulder.

"You can't say you haven't been warned." She glanced out of the window and saw her brother John carrying a big bag of

charcoal over his shoulder. "I'm going to see if John needs any help," she said, pushing herself away from the counter. She gave

her mother a peck on the cheek and walked out of the door. Janet continued making hamburger patties, shaking her head.

_"Bobby, what in the world have you gotten yourself into? Trying to make 2 grown women fight over you. That's so unlike _

_you," _she thought. "No matter," she said aloud to herself. "We'll help you figure out it."**

* * *

Sunday, August 20**  
**Frank Devlin's Home, 1:10 p.m.**

Eden Anderson was humming along with the Mariah Carey song that was playing on the radio as she parked her candy apple red

Lancer in front of Frank Devlin's home. She shut off the engine and checked her image in the rearview mirror. She was looking to

make sure Brewster didn't leave any hickies on her neck. She smiled to herself as she got out of the car, thinking about the wild

night of passion she had with him. As she was walking up to the door, Eden noticed Eric's electric blue Lancer was parked next to

Frankie's Cadillac Escalade. _"Hmm. He must have brought them blonde bitches back here," _she thought as she walked

through the door. She had barely walked a few feet into the house when she literally bumped into Vinnie, one of Frank James'

guards. "Get the hell outta my way, jack ass!" she said with a scowl. Unfazed by Eden's tone of voice, Vinnie looked down on her

and said, "Mr. Devlin wants to see you." "He'll see me after I've taken a shower and had a nap. Get the fuck away from me!"

Eden turned to head towards the staircase, but Vinnie grabbed her arm and started walking, dragging her along with him towards

the study. "Mr. Devlin wants to see you. NOW!"

* * *

Vinnie opened the door and pushed Eden inside ahead of him. She stumbled a little bit before regaining her balance. She spun on

her heel and walked back to Vinnie. She spit in his face and yelled, "If you EVER push me like that again, I'll slice your fucking

balls off!" He just looked down on her before turning his gaze to Devlin, who was leaning against his desk, flipping through the

same five 4x6 pictures he held in his hand. He just waved absentmindedly and said, "Go on back to the kitchen, Vinnie, and finish

cooking for the fellas." "Yes, Mr. Devlin." Vinnie smirked at Eden before turning around and walking out of the room, closing the

door behind him. Eden glared at the door before turning around to look at Devlin. "What? You in such a rush to fuck that you had

to send the fucking jolly Italian giant to meet me at the door?!" she said tauntingly. Devlin didn't even look at her. He just kept

flipping through the pictures in his hand, over and over again. His jaw was clinched and his teeth were grinding. The Devil was

pissed. "Bring him out!" he said aloud.

* * *

Eden stood there with her hands on her hips, about to ask Frank James if he was crazy when she let out a loud gasp. Coming out

of a room that was off to the side was Eric, all beaten and bloodied, being dragged out by Franco Holland and Francisco Torres.

They dropped him on the floor at Devlin's feet, then stepped away. Eric looked up at his twin sister, a scared look in his eyes.

Eden opened and closed her mouth a few times before she could find her voice. "What the hell did you do to him, Frankie?!"

Devlin remained silent, not looking at Eden, his jaw twitching wildly. He kept on flipping through the pictures in his hand. When

Eden started to reach down to help Eric, Devlin broke his silence by saying, "The next time you decide to let Brewster finger fuck

you in public, do it someplace where no one who knows me see you." She straightened up and said, "What the fuck are you

talking about?" Devlin shoved one of the pictures in Eden's face. Her eyes widened in surprise. The picture was of her and

Brewster taken the night before at an Italian restaurant that Devlin liked to frequent. They were sitting in a corner booth, looking

really cozy.

* * *

Before Eden had a chance to open her mouth, Devlin started to wildly hit her about the face with the picture. She put her arms up

to fend off the blows as he pushed her back towards the door. "Where's my fucking property, Eden?!" he yelled. "I don't know

what you're talking about!" she lied, tears streaming down her face. Devlin pointed at Eric. "You expect me to believe that that

dumb motherfucker laying right there, who does nothing but smoke weed, shit and fuck anything in a skirt, STOLE from me?!

How stupid do you think I am?!" Devlin pinned Eden against the door by placing his forearm against her throat. She clawed at his

arm as she struggled to breathe. "Frankie Devil, stop! Eden ain't got it no more!" Eric said weakly from his position on the floor

after a few intense minutes. Devlin turned his head to look at Eric before removing his forearm from Eden's throat. She slid down

to the floor in a heap, trying to regain her breath, while he walked over to Eric.

* * *

"I'm fucking listening," Devlin said calmly as he kneeled down to look at Eric. He briefly looked at Eden before focusing his gaze

on Frank James. "Eden did take your property, but I stole it from her and gave it to somebody for safe keeping." Devlin turned to

look at Eden. "Did Brewster put you up to this?" She quickly shook her head no, which was a complete lie. She knew that if

Devlin knew Brewster was the one who told her to steal Devlin's jump drive, the Devil himself would have all 3 of them killed

without a second thought.

* * *

Devlin turned back to Eric and asked, "Where's my fucking property, Eric?" "I…I…I don't know where it is," Eric stammered.

"The person I gave it to hid it somewhere. Said it was hidden someplace where nerds like to hang out." Eric hoped against all

hope that he didn't have to tell Frank James that the person he gave it to was DeMarco and that he was dead. Devlin shook his

head in disbelief. "Un-fucking-believable," he said. "You steal my shit and then give it to someone who steals it from you?! Double

un-fucking-believable!" "Computer City," Eden croaked. Devlin looked at her. "What the hell did you just say?" He stood up and

stomped his way towards Eden. Eric shook his head as he locked eyes with Eden. _"You about to get us fucking killed," _he

thought to himself as he laid his face down on the floor.

* * *

Frank James picked Eden up by her shoulders and started to shake her. "What the FUCK did you just say?!" he hissed through

his teeth. "Computer City," she said softly after he stopped shaking her. "That's where your property is hidden." Devlin narrowed

his eyes and flared his nostrils. "How in the hell do you know that?" "The person Eric's talking about called that place a nerd

hangout." "Right now, I'm so fucking pissed that I don't care who this person. I just want to know how to get in there and get my

shit back." Eden shook her head as she said, "You ain't gonna be able to break in there. If the security's like I think it is, you'll be

surrounded so fast it'll make your head spin." Devlin pushed Eden roughly against the door. Eden slid back down to the floor

while Devlin started pacing, muttering a string of curses under his breath. Eden shuddered as she watched Devlin because she

knew he was furious and would have her and Eric killed at any moment.

* * *

Eden had to think fast if she was going to save herself and her brother. A small sly smile crossed her lips as she came up with an

idea to hurt Angel, her supposed rival for Brewster's affections and to get back at Drew and Janelle for making her lose her

rightful inheritance. "The owners of that place…they have a friend who is real special to them," she said. Devlin stopped pacing

and faced Eden. "Go on," he said cautiously. "This friend of theirs always helps them when she's visiting in town. You hurt their

friend, they'll give you your property back." Eric hid his face as he smiled. _"Good save, Eden." _He wasn't even sure if Drew and

Janelle actually had the jump drive, but he did feel good knowing that they'd feel hurt and pain like he did. Devlin stroked his chin

as he thought about what Eden had said. He smiled in spite of himself. That was one of things he liked about her: she didn't give

damn if other people got hurt as along as she came out on top. "Alright. I'll try it your way," he said to Eden.

* * *

Devlin snapped his fingers twice, walked to lean against his desk and said, "Frankie 1. Frankie 2. Do your thing." Eden and Eric's

eyes both widened in horror as they both realized these guys were the Killer Frankies Brewster had told them about. Franco and

Francisco went to the fireplace and each pulled out a cigarette lighter size branding iron. Franco grabbed Eric's hand and pressed

the red hot branding iron into the palm of his right hand; Francisco did the same thing to Eden. The Wonder Twins screamed out in

agony. Franco and Francisco walked over and stood in front of Devlin. "What do you want us to do, boss?" Franco asked.

Devlin sighed dramatically. "I'm feeling….benevolent right now. Get them some medical attention. Then bring them back here so I

can keep an eye on them. Tomorrow, take them with you to stake out Computer City. When this 'friend' shows up, take her out

and get my property back." "What about Brewster?" Francisco asked. A thoughtful look crossed Devlin's face. "Leave him alone.

I want him sweating bullets before I do anything to him," he replied. He glanced briefly at Eric. He leaned towards the Frankies

and said in a hushed voice, "Once I've gotten my property back and have transacted my business, I want Eric to have a tiny taste

of your specialty as an example to Eden and anybody else who thinks they can cross the Devil and live to tell about it."**

* * *

Sunday, August 20**  
**Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 1:59 p.m.**

Alex sighed contently as she sat in the front porch swing of her parents' home, surveying the neighborhood from behind her

mirrored sunglasses. She turned her head at the sound of the screen door opening. "You want some company?" Jill asked. Alex

patted the space next to her. "Come on and cop a squat." Jill laughed at the 'Pretty Woman' reference as she sat down. "We

haven't watched that movie in a while," she said. Alex nodded in agreement. "We should have a 'girls only' movie night at my

place next month to watch it and 'Steel Magnolias.'" "That's a great idea, Alex." They fell in a comfortable and friendly silence as

they started to move the swing gently back and forth. "Mom says we're about to have an episode of 'Dynasty' play out here at

this party," Jill said. Alex let out a heavy sigh. She sarcastically said, "Since Mom and Dad don't have one, we won't be

witnessing a re-enactment of Krystle and Alexis fighting in the pool." "I mean what was Bobby thinking? Inviting one woman he's

involved with AND inviting another he used to date? He must be crazy." "Bobby is just trying to do the socially acceptable thing.

I'm sure he's not trying to make any one jealous or cause any hurt feelings."

* * *

Jill scoffed. "Why is Alannah bringing someone with her?" she asked. "How are we suppose to make sure she's the right woman

for Bobby if she's bringing a date?" Alex rolled her eyes. "Look, I know we all want Bobby to be happy, especially you and

Mom, but you've got to take it easy on him with all the questions I know you're going to ask. You know it takes a lot out of him

to open up to people." Jill sighed. "I know. I know," she said. "I will do my best to curb my enthusiasm." Alex patted her hand

and smiled. "Thank you." Alex turned her head at the sound of 2 vehicles approaching into the cul-de-sac. One of the cars was a

black Suburban. Behind it was a silver Grand Caravan minivan. "Mom said the baker was coming in a black Suburban," Alex said

as she stood up and walked to the top of the steps. Jill came up behind her to watch the vehicles park in front of the house.

"Who's in the van?" she asked. Alex shrugged and shook her head. "I have no idea."

* * *

The front right side passenger door of the Suburban opened. "Oh my gosh!" Jill exclaimed as she recognized the short black

woman who got out. "That's Miss Loretta!" Alex and Jill both stood there in disbelief as Loretta Hamilton, Janelle Spencer's

mother, waved to them. The two sisters had huge smiles plastered on their faces as they watched all the passengers empty out of

the cars. Jayson, Janelle, their father Eddie Lee and Drew's father Benjamin had gotten out the Suburban. Drew, Jayson's wife

Tonya and their 5 kids had gotten out of the minivan. "I'm going to get Mom!" Jill said. Alex just nodded. When Jill turned around,

Johnny and Janet were already standing behind them, grinning from ear to ear. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Janet asked

teasingly as she walked passed her daughters down the steps to give Loretta a hug. Alex walked down to where Janet and Loretta

were standing and said, "Mom, you lied to us!" Janet shrugged nonchalantly. "So sue me. Do you honestly think I'd let anyone but

Loretta make Bobby's birthday cake?" "My own mother!" Alex said in mock hurt. "Lying to me! That's very bad." Loretta

laughed as she reached out to give Alex a hug.

* * *

The rest of the Eames family had come out into the front yard to greet their first wave of guests by the time Loretta and Alex had

finished hugging. It felt like old times as the Eames children and Hamilton children greeted each other with smiles and hugs. Janet

and Loretta each took turns introducing their grandchildren to each other. Jayson's 2 oldest kids, Jayden and Tatiana, who were

both 16, kind of kept to themselves while their younger siblings, 12 year old Travis, 10 year old Joshua and 8 year old Jayna,

mingled with all of the Eames' grandchildren. Eddie Lee pulled out the large sheet birthday cake from the back of the Suburban

and carried it into the kitchen. "It's perfect, Loretta," Janet said as she lifted the cardboard lid. The cake was yellow with

chocolate frosting. On it was a blown up picture of Bobby's badge and the words "Happy Birthday Bobby" written in yellow

around the picture. "I'm glad you like it," Loretta said. Janet put her arm through Loretta's arm as she led her outside to the

backyard. They smiled at each other as they stood on the porch, watching their respective families interact with each other. "The

kids had no idea we were coming?" Loretta asked. "Not a clue," Janet replied. Loretta chuckled as she shook her head. "You are

such a mean mama," she said teasingly. "Hmmph. If my memory serves me correctly it was YOUR idea to surprise the kids,

Loretta Hamilton." "Oh, yeah. It was, wasn't it? I guess I'm a mean mama, too." Janet and Loretta exchanged looks and laughed

loudly at their own private joke.

* * *

Alex and Janelle had puzzled looks on their faces as they heard their mothers' laughter over all the noise. "What do you think

they're laughing about?" Janelle asked. Alex shrugged. "Who knows." Alex turned and swatted at Janelle's arm. "Ow! What the

hell was that for?!" Alex put her hands on her hips and said, "How come you didn't tell me the other night you guys were coming

to the party?" "Hell, I didn't know we were coming until we got to Mama's house today! Me and Drew went home to change out

of our church clothes before going over there. When we pulled up, Daddy was putting the cake in the back of the Suburban. We

got out of our car and Mama said, 'Let's go. We're going to the Eames' house for a party." Alex grunted. "I think our moms just

managed to pull the wool over all of our eyes." Janelle laughed. "Oh, you know you love surprises." Alex chuckled, nodding in

agreement. "I'm glad you all are here."

* * *

Alex took a deep breath and sighed. "Do you know if Angel's coming?" she asked. Janelle nodded. "We dropped her off at

home. She's gonna change clothes and catch a cab over here since Bobby's using her car to visit his mom." "Oh, boy," Alex

whispered under her breath. Janelle smiled and said, "You worried Angel and Bobby's fuck buddy gonna butt heads or

something?" Alex sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead. "Janelle," she started to say, but Janelle held up her hand. "I'm not

even gonna get in the middle of that mess. Angel can handle herself. I'm not gonna start anything, but if old girl decides to put her

hands on Angel, I WILL make it my business to get involved." Alex shook her index finger at her. "I'm holding you to that,

Janelle," she said as her cell phone started to ring. She pulled the phone out of the front pocket of her white shorts and flipped it

open. "Eames." She excused herself as she headed towards the house. "You can miss the house, Rob," she said as opened the

screen door and walked through the kitchen. "There's yellow, blue and white balloons everywhere. I'll be standing on the porch

waiting for you. Bye."**

* * *

Sunday, August 20**  
**Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 2:35 p.m.**

Alex had closed her phone and placed it back in her pocket by the time she reached the front porch. She stood there and watched

as a hunter green Suburban and a white Honda Civic parked in front of the next door neighbor's empty house. Mike Logan got

out of the right passenger side of the Honda, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. He went around to the driver's side and opened

for the door for Tamera, the petite woman he knew from Club Silkie's. Alex smiled to herself. _"A bachelor playboy and a _

_gentleman,"_ she thought to herself, _"What an interesting concept." _Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise as she spotted Megan

Wheeler getting out of the back of the Suburban, along with Rob and Lewis. A tall, slender teenage boy with red hair and fewer

freckles than Megan got out behind her. He was holding a large sketch pad in his hands. _"Must be her nephew Ian." _Alex

glanced over at Logan, who had stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes in the direction of the Suburban. _"Uh, oh. Looks _

_like Logan's about to go into 'protective partner' mode." _

* * *

Rob waved at Alex as she came off the porch. He was guiding his daughter Courtney, who was holding a wrapped gift box in her

arms. Lewis, who was holding a large wrapped box, reached Alex before everybody else. "Hi, Detective Alex," he said dreamily.

She laughed as she shook her head. "Hi, Lewis." "Hey, Alex," Mike said when he and Tamera walked up. "Hey, Mike. Hi,

Tamera." Mike and Lewis exchanged nods. "Hi, Alex," Tamera said. "Thanks for inviting me." "You're welcome." "Hey, guys,"

Megan said as she, Ian, Rob and Courtney stepped up. "Hey, Megan," Mike and Alex said in unison. She pointed her thumb at

the teenager standing behind her and said, "This is my nephew Ian. Ian, these are my co-workers Mike Logan and Alex Eames

and Logan's friend Tamera." Ian raised his hand as the adults spoke to him.

* * *

Alex turned her attention to Rob and Courtney. "Who's this pretty young lady, Rob?" she asked as she smiled at Courtney. "This

is my lovely daughter, Courtney," he said with a smile. "Courtney, this Uncle Bobby's partner, Alex Eames." "Hi," Courtney said

shyly as she extended her hand to Alex. "Nice to meet you, Courtney. You can call me Alex." Courtney's smile got bigger. Alex

leaned towards her and said, "I have some nieces and nephews your age who will be happy to meet you, too." Rob pointed to

Mike and Tamera. "Courtney, this Mike Logan, another co-worker of Uncle Bobby's and his friend Tamera." Courtney smiled

shyly at them as they said hi to her. Alex said, "Why don't you all go inside and introduce yourselves. My mom will show you

where to put the gifts. I need to talk to Mike and Megan for a sec." Tamera gave Mike's arm a squeeze as she followed Rob's

little group towards the house.

* * *

Mike narrowed his eyes at Rob, who was holding the door open for everyone, before putting on his shades. Alex put her mirrored

shades back on her face to hide the fact she was rolling her eyes. "Oh, brother," she muttered under her breath. When Rob had

walked into the house, she said, "I just wanted to tell you guys that I got Bobby a new leather binder as a gift from us. I had a little

engraved plate put on it." "Sounds great, Alex," Megan said. Thanks, Alex," Mike said. "You need any more money?" Alex

shook her head. As they started towards the house, Mike asked, "Megan, what's up with you and lover boy?" She stopped and

turned to face him. "What?!" "You heard me. What's up with you and Bobby's friend?" Alex covered her mouth to keep from

laughing. She stepped back a little as the Abbott and Costello act was about to rear its ugly head.

* * *

"There's nothing up with me and Rob," Megan said. "He's a very nice person." Mike grunted. "Yeah, right," he said sarcastically.

Megan stepped up to Mike, took his shades off, and looked into his eyes. "I'm not sure, but I think I detect a hint of jealousy in

there somewhere," she said with a smile. Mike snatched his shades out of her hands and put them back on. "Call it concern for my

partner," he growled. Megan made a face. "Whatever. Just because I have a baby face doesn't mean I'm a baby," she countered.

Alex looked on in amusement as the partners went back and forth. When she saw Antonio Garcia's Corvette pull up, she walked

off to greet him. Alex looked back as she reached the Corvette and saw Logan and Wheeler going into the house, still bickering

with each other.

* * *

Antonio got out of the car, laughing. "Abbott and Costello still at it, huh?" he asked as he hugged Alex. Alex nodded as she pulled

back from him. "You know it. Hi, Marisol," she said as Antonio's girlfriend got out of the car. "Hey, Alex," she said, giving her a

hug. Marisol handed Tony a wrapped box. He took the box with one hand and reached for Marisol's hand with the other. "Bobby

here yet?" he asked. Alex shook her head. "Not yet. Go on in. I'm going to stay out here and be the official party guest greeter."

Antonio nodded his head before walking off towards the house with Marisol. Alex sat down in the porch swing and started to

push it back and forth as she waited for more guests to arrive. She didn't have to wait too long as she saw Ron Carver's familiar

black Cadillac coming into the cul-de-sac. Alex got up and waved as she went down the steps to wait for him to get out.

* * *

Alex was pleasantly surprised as she saw Jimmy Deakins, his wife Angie, Dr. Rogers, and her niece get out of the Cadillac along

with Carver. "I found all of them by the side of the road, so I decided to bring them with me," Carver said in his trademark smooth

voice. Alex chuckled as she gave him a quick hug. "Where's Paula?" she asked him. "Paula sends her apologies. She decided

she'd stay home with Taylor and that I come to the party." Alex turned to Deakins and Angie. All three did a group hug. "Thanks

for coming," Alex said. "Wild horses couldn't have kept me away from this," Deakins said. "Bobby letting someone do something

special for him is a rare event. I knew I had to be here." Alex turned to Dr. Rogers, shaking her hand and smiling. "Thanks for

coming, Doc." "Eh, you know me. I'm a sucker for a good time. Alex, this is my niece Candace. Candace, Alex Eames." Alex

and Candace shook hands as they exchanged pleasantries.

* * *

"The party's this way," Alex said, addressing the group. As they were making their way towards the house, Deakins caught a hold

of Alex's arm, holding her back while everyone else walked on. "How are things with the new captain?" he asked. Alex sighed

heavily. "Everything's okay, so far," she replied. "You know we're still in that 'getting used to each other' stage." "How are you

holding up?" Alex looked him, knowing he was asking about her ordeal with serial killer Jo Gage. She shrugged. "I'm hanging in

there." Deakins gave her a rueful smile. "I know you. You're as strong as a lion," he said. "How's Bobby handling all this

change?" Alex scoffed. "You know Bobby. He's handling it in true Bobby style." He chuckled lightly as he put his arm around her

shoulders and squeezed. "I want both of you to hang in there. Things will get better before you know it." Alex scoffed again as she

and Deakins continued walking towards the house.

* * *

The sound of an approaching car caused Alex to turn her head. "Oh, hell," she muttered as she recognized the custom painted mint

green Mercedes Benz that belonged to Alannah Fitzgerald.. Deakins turned his head, too. "What's wrong?" he asked. Alex shook

her head. "Nothing. Why don't you go on in and I'll catch up with you in a sec," she said as she turned back around to walk

towards the car. Deakins hesitated for a few seconds before he walked up the steps and into the house. Alex stood where she

was as watched the man behind the wheel park the Benz. She sighed heavily as she mentally prepared herself for greeting Alannah.

_"I swear, Bobby, if you weren't my friend, I'd wring your neck for inviting this nympho to this party." _Alex forced a fake

smile on her lips as the driver helped Alannah out of the car. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he handed her a small box.

Alannah and her mystery man walked arm in arm towards Alex.

* * *

"Hello, Alex," Alannah said as she removed her sunglasses. She wanted Alex to see the sexual lust for her in her emerald green

eyes. Alex somehow managed to keep the fake smile without making a face. Alex knew, from what Bobby had told her, that

Alannah would take a female lover every once in a while when she was bored with men. She also knew that Alannah had a thing

for her ever since their first meeting. "Hello, Alannah." Alannah took in her surroundings for a few seconds before turning her

attention back to Alex. "This is such a…quaint area your parents live in," she said in a condescending voice. Alex rolled her eyes

as she gritted her teeth. She wondered to herself what in the hell Bobby could possibly see in this woman when all she ever did

was talk down to people. _"The sex must be super awesome," _she thought. Alex mentally shuddered at the involuntary image she

just put into her own head.

* * *

"Thank you for coming," Alex said through gritted teeth, choosing to ignore Alannah's put down remark. "Of course, I'd be here.

Robert's feelings would be crushed if he didn't get to see me. I bring light to his life." Alex caught herself before snorted. "Who's

your friend, Alannah?" she asked. _"Lady, if I could balance myself on some stilts, I'd punch your lights out." _"Forgive my

manners, Alex. This is Chazen Caldwell. Chazen, this is Robert's partner, Alex Eames." Alex and Chazen shook hands. "Is

Robert here yet?" Alannah asked. "No, Bobby's not here," Alex answered. "He's visiting with his mom before he comes here."

"Oh." She made a face as if she were disgusted by something. "Is he bringing her here?" Alex wondered if she could get away

with kicking her in the shins. "No, she's not coming." Alannah chuckled a little. "Thank goodness. I'm in no mood to meet any

mothers today. I'm only interested in seeing every inch of my Robert."

* * *

Alex sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose. _"I wonder if I could plead insanity if I shot her in the shoulder." _

She plastered her fake smile on her face and said, "Bobby's other guests are out in the backyard. Why don't you and Chazen go

and introduce yourselves? I'm going to stay out here for a bit and wait for some more guests to arrive." She thought to herself,

_"Because if you don't, you'll force me to use violence." _"Alright, Alex. We'll see you inside," Alannah said. Alex stepped out

of the way as Alannah tried to brush against her to cop a feel as she and Chazen walked to the house.

* * *

After they had gone inside, Alex plopped down into the swing, shaking her head. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "I

don't have to worry about Janelle causing any trouble because I'll be the one starting it," she said aloud. A few minutes passed

before Alex decided she should go out to the backyard and check on the party guests. She stood up and pulled out her cell phone

to check the time. It was 3:15 p.m. She realized 2 things as she walked into the house. The first thing Alex realized that Bobby was

due to arrive in 15 minutes. The other thing she realized is that Angel hadn't shown up yet. She thought, _"Alannah's here. That's _

_one shoe down. When Angel gets here, that'll be the other shoe dropping. Good grief! Bobby, you better know what _

_you're doing because I get the impression Alannah is not going to let you get away from her that easily."_


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Notes: Okay, okay, okay. I know. I know. Bobby's surprise, Angel's arrival and Angel and Alannah's chat are suppose to be in this chapter. As I was writing, I realized that all of that would have made this chapter extra super long. LOL I figured I'd pick all that up in the next chapter. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just letting them run wild in my imagination. As always, I want to thank everyone for reading and/or reviewing. I truly appreciate it. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)****

* * *

**

Sunday, August 20  
**Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 3:17 p.m.**

When Alex walked into the house, she found Janet and Loretta in the kitchen, cutting up tomatoes and onions, respectively. "Hey, 

Lexi," Janet said. "Any sign of Bobby yet?" Alex shook her head. "No. Not yet," she replied. "He'll probably show up right at 

3:30." "How old is he again?" Loretta asked. "45," Alex and Janet answered at the same time. "And he's not married?" "He's 

single," Janet replied. "No kids?" "Nope." "Hmmm. That's interesting," Loretta said thoughtfully. Janet chuckled a little bit. "What 

are you thinking about, Loretta? You gonna try to set Angel up with Bobby?" "Why not?" Loretta asked. "She's young, widowed 

and has no kids. I think she'd make a good match for him." Janet laughed. "I don't think that'll be a good idea. Bobby's about to 

have more women on his hands than he knows what to do with." Loretta gave Janet a funny look. "What do you mean?" Janet 

then explained to her who Bobby had invited to the party. When she was done explaining, Loretta just said, "Oh. Well, that idea 

was just shot to hell." 

* * *

Alex remained quiet as she listened to Loretta and Janet talking. _"Neither one of you have a clue," _she thought to herself. Alex 

wondered if she should tell them that Angel was the other woman, but she decided it against. _"No need to make the situation _

_any more complicated than it already is." _"Mom, did Alannah introduce herself to you?" Janet nodded. "Yes, she did. She 

seems…okay," she replied. Alex smiled to herself. She knew what that meant. _"That means you've got a whole lot of _

_questions to ask."_ Instead she said, "I'm going out to check on our guests," choosing not to press her mother for any more of her 

thoughts about Alannah. "Okay, sweetheart," Janet said to Alex's retreating back. When she stepped out onto the porch, Alex 

looked around to survey the scene that was laid out before her. Off to the left end of the porch, her father, Deakins, Mike, Antonio 

and Ron Carver were sitting together, having a good laugh at Logan's expense. She overheard Deakins admonishing him for 

having a new partner. "Geez, Mike! I haven't been retired a good 3 months yet and you already have a new partner. You've got 

to work on that sparkling personality of yours." On the other end of the porch, Angie Deakins and Marisol were watching Eddie 

Lee and Benjamin play checkers. 

* * *

Sitting at one end of the picnic tables, Shane, Janelle, Drew and Jayson were playing dominoes and talking trash while Tonya and 

Tamera looked on. Tamera waved her hand at Candace, inviting her over to join them. At another picnic table, Dr. Rogers was 

sitting with Shannon, Lewis and Megan. John and Bryce were standing at the grills, deciding who was going to cook what. 

Alannah and Chazen were sitting by themselves in a set of folding chairs. They were whispering to each other, giving each other 

tiny pecks on the cheek and looking around at everyone. Alex narrowed her eyes at them from behind her shades. She was 

seriously considering going over there and telling Alannah that she should leave because she was not welcome at this party. She 

sighed heavily as she decided she had better not. As much as she hated to admit it, this was Bobby's party and he could invite 

whoever he wanted. _"I guess I should be grateful Alannah hasn't pissed anybody off yet." _

* * *

Alex looked out to the far end of the huge yard. Jayson's 2 teenagers and Megan's nephew were sitting together under the cool 

shade of a tree, laughing. If she remembered correctly, Alex thought Ian went to the same school as Jayden and Tatiana. She made 

a mental note to herself to ask Megan when she got a chance. The rest of the kids were either playing on the playground 

equipment or running around playing tag. Sean and J. J. each had a large remote controlled truck, driving them around to chase the 

other kids. Even 2 year old Christopher was trying his best to keep up with all the older kids. 9 year old Barbara and Courtney 

were playing with him, helping him get up and down the slide. Alex saw Jill, digital camera in hand, laughing while trying to take 

pictures of the kids. Rob was there with Jill, too. He had a small camcorder in his hand, walking around and telling them to look in 

the camera. Alex smiled as she watched the kids having fun. 

* * *

Rob spotted Alex standing on the porch. He pointed the camera in her direction as he walked towards her. "Here she is ladies and 

gentlemen," he said as he got closer to Alex. "The gracious hostess of Bobby's birthday party, Alex Eames." Alex laughed. 

"Would you like to say anything to the birthday boy?" Alex took off her shades, looked straight into the camera and said, "Happy 

birthday, Bobby. I hope you enjoy your special day, the party and all of the gifts you'll get. I also want to say I am honored and 

have enjoyed being your friend and partner for all of these years. Love ya." Rob smiled as he lowered the camera. "That was great 

thing you just said," he said. Alex shrugged her shoulders as she put her shades back on. "I meant every word," she said with a 

smile. Rob chuckled, saying, "Well, I'm sure Mr. Goren needs to be reminded every now and then that his friends care for and 

love him." "Yeah. You do have to beat that fact into his head. Otherwise he'll forget." They both laughed a little. 

* * *

Alex pointed with her head towards Courtney. "Seems like Courtney is having a lot of fun." Rob smiled, nodding his head. "She's 

having a blast," he answered. "She just found out from your niece Barbara that they share the same birthday. I think they may have 

just bonded for life." Alex chuckled. "Well, birthdays sometimes do that." "Courtney hasn't said anything yet, but I think she may 

ask me if she can hang out with you all more often." "Hey, it's no big deal. She'd be more than welcome. My family loves 

welcoming more people into the fold." Rob chuckled. "Yeah, I can tell. I'll talk to Lizzie when I drop Courtney off and see what 

she thinks." While Alex and Rob were talking, Courtney and Barbara walked up to them. "What are you two up to?" Alex asked. 

"I'm gonna show Courtney where the bathroom is," Barbara replied as they walked passed them. Rob tugged playfully at 

Courtney's ponytail. "Daddy! Stop!" she squealed with laughter. Rob moved as if he was going to tickle her, but Courtney rushed 

quickly into the house before he could get to her. 

* * *

When the girls had gone into the house, Alex turned her attention to Alannah. "So, uh, have you met the infamous Ms. Fitzgerald?" 

she asked. Rob nodded his head as he turned to look at Alannah. Alannah noticed he was looking at her, so she winked her eye 

and blew a kiss at him. "Oh, brother," Alex said. Rob blushed slightly as he massaged his neck. "She's very, um, forthright, for 

lack of a better word," he said. Alex raised her eyebrows. "Really? How so?" "Let's just say her hands have become intimately 

familiar with certain parts of my body within 30 seconds of meeting her." Alex looked at Rob, her eyebrows raised again. He 

looked at her and nodded. "Wow," was all Alex could manage to say. 

* * *

"I don't have a problem with a woman who knows what she wants sexually. What I have a problem with is a woman who 

assumes I will just jump into bed with her because she thinks I'm only looking for sex." Alex smirked. _"So, Alannah has pissed _

_somebody off already," _she thought. "I can't say that I'm not too surprised," she said. "Alannah is very aggressive." Rob snorted. 

"Aggressive is an understatement." Just then Rob's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pants pocket and looked at the caller i.d. 

"Excuse me for a sec. This is Lizzie," he said as he walked into the house. "No problem," Alex said. She stood there, shaking her 

head at what Rob just told her. She seriously reconsidered her thought about telling Alannah to leave. _"No, don't do that. Today _

_is Bobby's birthday. This is a happy occasion. Don't let Miss Sexually Insatiable ruin anything." _Alex shook herself from her 

thoughts. She decided instead to mingle with the guests, so she put on a smile and headed towards where her dad was holding 

court.**

* * *

**

Sunday, August 20  
**Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 3:28 p.m.**

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Courtney asked. She and Barbara had come outside to the front yard, looking for Rob. They 

stopped and stood on the porch while he made his way back up the steps. "I was just shooting some video of the front of the 

house," he replied as he sat down on the swing. "What's new, Pussy Cat?" Courtney and Barbara giggled as they sat down next 

to him. "Grandpa Johnny says that to me sometimes," Barbara replied. "He says it's from a song that came out a long, long, long 

time ago." Rob chuckled as he shook his head, realizing his daughter and her new friend were doing a very good job of making 

him feel like a dinosaur. _"I was only 4 when the song came out. It's not THAT old," _he thought. "Daddy, Barbara said her 

family is going to have a big get together for Labor Day. Can I come? Please?" Rob smiled as he lightly tugged at Courtney's 

ponytail. "Let me talk it over with your mom," he answered. "If she says it's okay, then I'll talk to Bobby and Alex about getting 

you here. Deal?" "Thanks, Daddy," Courtney said, a big smile covering her whole face. She wrapped her arms around her dad's 

midsection and gave him a big squeeze. Barbara just clapped her hands. 

* * *

Rob kissed the top of Courtney's head and gave her squeeze back before standing up, pointing the camera at them. "Here we 

have 2 very lovely young ladies," he said. "My daughter Courtney and her new found friend Barbara. Wave for the camera, girls." 

Courtney and Barbara put their arms around each other, giggling as they waved at the camera. "Is there anything you'd like to say 

to your Uncle Bobby?" "Happy birthday, Uncle Bobby. I love you," Courtney said. "Same here, Uncle Bobby," Barbara said. "I 

love you a whole bunch." Courtney was the first one to spot the black Saturn Vue coming into the cul-de-sac. "There's a car 

coming, Daddy." Rob lowered the camcorder and turned around to see the car. He walked to the top of the steps and stopped, 

Courtney and Barbara right behind him. He put one hand on top of the rail to block them from running down the stairs. They 

peeked out from behind him. Rob watched warily as the unknown driver parked the car. As soon as the driver's door opened and 

Bobby's head emerged, a smile spread across Rob's lips as he held up the camcorder. "It's Uncle Bobby!" Barbara exclaimed. 

She and Courtney tried pushing their way passed Rob, but he still had his arm up, keeping them from going anywhere. "Give your 

Uncle Bobby a chance to get his gym bag and get closer to the house before you knock him over with hugs and kisses," he said 

playfully. 

* * *

Bobby raised his hand and waved at the 3 people waiting for him. His 2 very excited "nieces" waved frantically back at him. Rob 

just nodded his head at him. Bobby chuckled to himself as he pushed his shades down over his eyes and went to the back of the 

car to get his gym bag, _"They're gonna knock Rob down with excitement if he doesn't move out of their way soon," _he 

thought to himself. He pulled the bag out, closed the back door and headed towards the house. As soon as Bobby had walked 

passed the parked cars that were directly in front of the house, Rob moved out of the girls' way. They ran down the steps and 

made a beeline straight for Bobby. He dropped his gym bag on the ground and leaned down so that the girls could wrap their arms 

around his neck. Bobby laughed as they each kissed his cheeks. He straightened up, lifting them off the ground in his arms. "Happy 

birthday, Uncle Bobby!" Courtney said. "I've missed you!" "Thanks, sweetheart," he said. He rubbed his nose against hers. "I…

I've missed you, too." "Happy birthday, Uncle Bobby," Barbara said. He turned to her and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Babs 

Bunny." She giggled. 

* * *

Rob came down the steps, pointing the camcorder at the happy group. "Well, ladies and gents, the man of the hour has arrived. 

Mr. Birthday Boy himself, Bobby Goren!" Bobby laughed as he set Courtney and Barbara back on the ground. "You got anything 

to say for the camera, Bobby-Boy?" Bobby shook his head as he continued smiling. Courtney and Barbara both clung to him, 

hugging him around his waist. "Say something, Uncle Bobby," Barbara said. "Yeah, Uncle Bobby" Courtney echoed. "You gotta 

say something for your birthday." He looked down at them and smiled, giving them a squeeze. "Okay, okay," he said. He looked 

into the camera and said, "I'm very glad to be here and am very happy to have been mobbed by 2 of my many favorite people." 

Alex walked out onto the porch, wondering where in the world Barbara and Courtney could have disappeared to. She smiled as 

she watched Bobby smile and laugh with the girls. 

* * *

"It's about time you got here," Alex said playfully from the porch. Bobby looked up and waved at Alex; she waved back at him. 

Barbara and Courtney gave Bobby one more squeeze before letting him go. "Come on, Courtney. Let's go tell everybody that 

Uncle Bobby's here," Barbara said. Courtney nodded her head as she followed Barbara into the house. Alex barely had enough 

time to move out of the way as the girls barreled passed her into the house. "Slow down before you hurt yourselves!" Alex said. 

She sighed heavily and shook her head as the screen door slammed firmly in her face. Bobby picked up his gym bag, slung it over 

his shoulder and walked with Rob towards the house. When he got up the steps, Bobby looked down at Alex, a huge smile on his 

face. Alex looked up at him, returning the smile. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Happy birthday, partner," she said. Bobby 

squeezed back. "Thanks, partner." Alex let go of his hand and opened the screen door. "Come on. I'll show you where you can 

change clothes." 

* * *

Rob held the screen door open, letting Alex and Bobby walk through first before walking in himself. "You certainly dressed up to 

visit your mom today," Alex said as she led them down the hall. "I…I went to church this morning before going to see my mom," 

Bobby replied. He and Rob practically knocked Alex over because she suddenly stopped to look back at Bobby. "You? The 

lapsed altar boy? Went to church?" she asked. Rob snickered while Bobby huffed. "You and my mother both are making a big 

deal out of it. It's not THAT big of a deal." Alex scoffed. "I beg to differ," she replied as she started walking again. "Alex's right, 

Bobby-Boy. You probably haven't set foot inside of a church for a couple of decades." Bobby turned around, hit Rob in the 

shoulder and said, "Don't you start." "Ow!" Rob exclaimed as he rubbed his shoulder. "Dammit, that hurt!" "Serves you right," 

Bobby said as he started walking. 

* * *

Alex opened the door to a spare bedroom and stepped aside. "You can change in here." She and Rob hung back in the hall while 

Bobby stepped inside. "Is Angel here?" he asked as he placed the gym bag on the bed. Alex and Rob just exchanged glances with 

each other, not saying anything. Bobby frowned as he turned to look at them. "Is Angelica here yet?" he asked again, looking from 

Alex to Rob and then back again. They just glanced at each other, then looked at the floor, avoiding Bobby's gaze. "I'm waiting," 

Bobby said. Alex sighed heavily. "Angel's not here yet, Bobby," she replied quietly. She looked up at him and saw the look of 

disappointment cross over his face as his broad shoulders slumped a little bit. "Oh." Bobby tried to quickly regain his composure 

by taking a deep breath and pasting a smile on his face. "Maybe…maybe she's in the…the cab, lost somewhere," he stammered 

as he massaged his neck. "Of course, she is," Alex said. "She's probably on her way now." She hoped she sounded reassuring to 

Bobby because she sure didn't feel it. Rob nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she'll be here soon," he said. He didn't feel too sure, 

either. Bobby looked at both of them and gave them a small smile, knowing they were just trying to be positive for him. 

* * *

"Um, uh, I…I'm gonna get changed," Bobby said as he wrung his hands. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." "Okay," Alex said as 

Rob nodded. They both turned around to head back down the hallway. It took Bobby 2 steps to cross the room and close the 

door. He took a deep breath and held it for a minute before letting it out. He started shaking his head as he turned back towards 

the bed to open the gym bag. _"You promised you'd come!" _he thought angrily to himself as he kicked off his shoes and changed 

out of his suit and into a white polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He sat down on the bed and took another deep cleansing breath. 

_"You can't be mad at Angel, you idiot! If she's not ready to meet your extended family, then she's just not ready. You _

_can't force her to be here." _Bobby took off his socks to slip on his sandals, then reached into the gym bag and pulled out the 

gifts he had bought earlier this week from Rossi's. He placed Janet's and Alex's gifts in one of his cargo pockets. He held Angel's 

gift in his hand, staring at it, contemplating whether or not he should even bother giving it to her. A small smile flitted across 

Bobby's lips as he placed the ring in a separate pocket. _"Of course, she deserves it. Angel will be here. I know she'll be here. _

_I hope."_

* * *

A knock at the door interrupted Bobby's thoughts. "Bobby, you decent?" Alex asked. "Can I come in?" "Yeah, Alex. Come on 

in," he replied. Alex opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She walked over to where Bobby was 

sitting and sat down next to him. "You okay?" she asked. Bobby nodded. "I'm okay. No big deal." Alex rolled her eyes. "Of 

course it's a big deal. Do you honestly think Rob and I didn't see that look of disappointment in your face?" "It wasn't 

disappointment. I was just…just surprised. That's all." Alex scoffed. "Robert Goren, I've known you for over 5 years now. I've 

been a cop longer than that. I'm pretty sure I know the difference between surprise and disappointment." Bobby looked at Alex, 

then looked at the floor. "Can't fool you for a second, huh?" Alex shook her head. "Not when it comes to my partner," she 

answered. She gave him a small nudge in the side. "It's okay to admit that you have feelings for Angel." 

* * *

Bobby didn't say anything. He just continued staring at the floor, wondering how to put into words what he was truly feeling. Alex 

chuckled a little as she looked at him. "Oh my God. Robert Goren at a loss for words. Where is Rob and his camcorder when you 

need it." Bobby looked at Alex and laughed. He knew he could always count on Alex to know what was going on in his head 

sometimes. "I like Angel," he said softly, turning his attention back to the floor. "I like her a lot." "I know you do," Alex said. "I 

can tell." Bobby looked at Alex skeptically. "Oh, really? What's telling you that? Your cop instincts or woman's intuition?" Alex 

shrugged. "Both," she said with a smile. They both laughed. Bobby looked back at the floor. Alex leaned on him a little. "Bobby, 

Angel will be here. She doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would tell you that she'd do something and then not do it." 

Bobby nodded. "You're right." 

* * *

Alex let out a sigh of relief. She stood up and grabbed Bobby's hand, pulling him off the bed. "Come on," she said as she headed 

towards the door and opened it. "Your arrival has been heralded by Barbara and Courtney. Your guests are anxiously awaiting 

your presence." Bobby touched the top of his head to make sure his sunglasses were still there as he let Alex pull him down the 

hall towards the backyard. He stopped, squeezing Alex's hand which made her stop to look at him. "Thanks, Alex," he said. She 

smiled. "You're welcome," she said as she started pulling him down the hall again. When Bobby and Alex reached the kitchen, 

they found Janet and Loretta sitting down, sipping some lemonade. Janet clapped her hands and stood up as Bobby and Alex got 

close to her. Alex let go of Bobby's hand and moved out of the way, so that Janet and Bobby could hug. "Happy birthday, 

Bobby!" Janet exclaimed as she pulled back to look up at him. He smiled at her as she patted his cheek. "Thank you, Janet." She 

patted his cheek one more time before pointing to Loretta. "Bobby, this is Loretta Hamilton," Janet said. "Loretta, this is Bobby 

Goren." 

* * *

Bobby managed to hide his surprise as he and Loretta shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hamilton." "Thank you, Bobby," she 

said. "Happy birthday. Please, call me Loretta." "Thank you, Loretta." "Mom," Alex said, "Has John and Bryce started grilling 

yet?" Janet shook her head. "Loretta and I are going to bring the meat out as soon as Bobby steps outside." "Okay." Alex looked 

up at Bobby. "You ready to greet your guests?" she asked. Bobby sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. After you," he said, 

motioning for Alex to walk ahead of him as he put his shades on. Alex pulled on Bobby's sleeve to make him bend down to her 

level. Alex whispered in his ear, "Janelle and Drew didn't know they were coming here today." "Oh." Bobby straightened up as 

Alex walked towards the screen door. She opened it and walked through, holding it open for him. "Look who I found!" Alex said 

loudly. She stepped to the side as Bobby walked up to stand next to her. Shouts of "Happy birthday, Bobby" could be heard from 

everyone. Bobby laughed as he looked around to see who was here. "Thank you! Thank you! The party can begin now!" 

Everyone laughed. Bobby started to head over to where Deakins and company were standing, but decided against it as he saw all 

of the Eames grandchildren head towards him, Justina and Sean leading the pack. He went down the steps and laughed as he was 

swarmed by the kids, giving him hugs and talking over each other to wish him happy birthday. 

* * *

"Okay, you guys," Jill said loudly as she walked up with Christopher in her arms, "give Bobby a chance to breathe. Am-scray.

Am-scray." The kids groaned as Jill shooed them away like flies. Bobby just watched and laughed as the kids went back to what 

they were doing albeit reluctantly. "Happy birthday, Bobby," Jill said, reaching out to hug him. Bobby hugged her back. "Thanks, 

Jill," he said as he ruffled Christopher's hair. The little boy giggled, then held out his arms to Bobby. "Unca Bobby!" he said as 

Bobby took him in his arms and hugged him. Jill and Rob were both ready with their cameras. "Smile for the camera, guys," Jill 

said. "Christopher, look," Bobby said, pointing his finger and angling his body so that he and Christopher were facing the cameras. 

Jill snapped the picture quickly and clapped. "Yay, Christopher!" she said as she approached them. Bobby handed Christopher 

back to her, ruffling his hair one more time before heading back up the steps to walk over to where Johnny's group was sitting. 

Alex had gone back inside to see if Janet and Loretta needed help with anything. 

* * *

Johnny, Mike, Carver, and Antonio each took turns wishing Bobby happy birthday. When he got to Deakins, Bobby just looked 

at him and smiled. "I…I'm glad you could make it, sir," he stammered. Deakins scoffed. "I'm not 'sir' any more. You can call me 

Jimmy." Bobby shook his head as he reached out to shake Deakins' hand. "Maybe someday I'll take you up on that offer." 

Deakins shook his head as he pulled Bobby into a brief hug. "You hang in there," he quickly whispered in Bobby's ear before 

letting him go. Bobby nodded his head, giving him a lopsided smile. He stepped back to look at all of them. "I need to be a social 

butterfly for a second and mingle with everyone. I'll be right back," he said. Antonio grunted. "Biggest butterfly I've ever seen." 

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Bobby said dryly as he made a face at him and walked off to speak to his other guests. After he finished talking to 

the others, Bobby inhaled and exhaled deeply as he turned to look at Alannah. She pulled her shades down to the tip of her nose, 

looking him up and down. Bobby smiled when Alannah winked at him before pushing her shades back upon her nose. He started 

to walk towards her, feeling as if everyone was watching him. "Oh, shit!" he quietly exclaimed to himself as Alannah stood up, her 

green t-shirt and white shorts accentuating her curves in all the right places. _"Can't blame her for looking really good," _he 

thought to himself . 

* * *

"Hello, Robert," Alannah said when Bobby reached where she and Chazen were sitting. "Hi, Alannah." Bobby stopped about a 

foot away from her, his hands behind his back. She chuckled lightly. "Why are you all the way over there?" Bobby shrugged. "Just 

am." Chazen stood up, extending his hand out to Bobby. "Hi, I'm Chazen Caldwell." Bobby shook his hand and said, "Robert 

Goren. Thank you for coming." "Thanks for inviting me." Chazen placed his arm protectively around Alannah's waist, pulling her 

close to him and squeezing. "Alannah insisted that we come. So, I'd do anything to make Her Highness happy." Bobby raised an 

eyebrow. He was slightly amused by Chazen's jealous attitude. Alannah just rolled her eyes. She turned to him and said, "Chazen, 

would you be a sweetheart and go get me something to drink?" "Of course," he replied. He kissed her lightly on the lips, nodded 

his head at Bobby and walked off. 

* * *

Bobby let out a chuckle once Chazen was out of earshot. "I see Chazen has staked his claim on you," he said to Alannah. Alannah 

scoffed. "He hasn't quite learned yet that I'm the only one who makes the decisions in this relationship." She decided to close the 

gap between her and Bobby by stepping up to him and putting her hands on his shoulders. They stared at each other. Bobby 

involuntarily moaned slightly as Alannah slowly moved her hips against his groin. She stopped and smirked as she got the desired 

reaction out of Bobby. He silently cursed himself for letting her get to him like that. He took a couple of deep breaths to control 

himself while still looking into Alannah's eyes. Alannah continued smirking, running her fingers through his hair. She clicked her 

tongue as she stepped back to look him up and down again. 

* * *

Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "What's wrong?" he asked. Alannah shrugged slightly. "Nothing really," she 

replied. "I just noticed that you've gotten a little more grayer and put on a few pounds, but you still look damn good." He sighed 

heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. _"Her complete and unabashed honesty is another thing you gotta admire," _he 

thought sarcastically. "Oh, there you go again," Alannah said condescendingly, "getting all huffy because of some flaws I've 

pointed out that can easily be fixed." Bobby chuckled. "I'm not getting huffy. I'm just…just finding the humor in what you've said." 

"I haven't said anything funny," she snapped. A faint smile crossed Bobby's lips as he tilted his head to the side. "I do believe I just 

cracked the calm coolness of Alannah Fitzgerald." Alannah took a deep breath and released it before she smiled and said, "You 

haven't cracked anything, Robert. I just don't understand why you're dismissing my concern about some silly little flaws you 

have." Bobby silently thanked the heavens that the sunglasses he was wearing were very dark so that Alannah couldn't see him 

rolling his eyes. 

* * *

"What you see as flaws," Bobby said, "I see as a normal part of me, of who I am. I look fine." "Of course, you look fine, Robert," 

Alannah said. "I'm just saying with a little help from me, you could look and be better than fine." Bobby shook his head. "Alannah, 

I don't want to fight about this," he said quietly. He was wondering why in the hell they were having this stupid discussion anyway. 

"Robert, I didn't come here to fight. I came here to help you celebrate your birthday. And to check out my competition." He 

raised an eyebrow. "Competition? I didn't know there was contest going on," he said. Alannah looked at Bobby over the top of 

her shades. She chuckled. "Oh, Robert, you're so silly. I've just got to meet the woman whose pussy is powerful enough to make 

you turn down mine." Alannah stepped towards Bobby to close the space between them again, putting her hands on his chest. 

"Maybe I can convince her to take her eyes off the prize," she said in a low sultry tone before stepping back. 

* * *

Bobby opened his mouth to tell Alannah that he was not some prize to be won in a contest, but something lightly bumped into his 

leg. He looked down and saw it was a toy truck. "Sorry, Uncle Bobby," J. J. said as he walked up to Alannah and Bobby. "It's 

okay, J. J.," Bobby said, smiling at him. J. J. held the remote control out to Bobby. "You wanna come try out the new trucks me 

and Sean got?" Bobby looked at Alannah. She smiled as she slightly shrugged. "Go ahead, Robert. We'll finish talking later." 

Bobby nodded as he took the remote from J. J., driving the truck ahead of them as they walked towards where the kids were 

playing. Bobby glanced back at Alannah. She blew him a kiss before turning her attention to Chazen, who had walked up with a 

plastic cup in his hand. He shook his head as he thought, _"Alannah, you can't have everything your way. Not today."_


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Notes: Okay, okay, okay. I'm getting there with Bobby's surprise (so, deliriousdancer, don't kill me LOL). I will tell you all that's it's musical in nature. I figured Angel and Alannah's chat would be a good stopping point. As always, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and/or review this story. I do appreciate it. LO:CI characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**

* * *

**

Sunday, August 20

**Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 3:57 p.m.**

"I'll be damned," Janelle said quietly. Alex grunted and said, "You and me both." Janelle had given up her spot in the

dominoes game to Tamera to help Alex bring out the meat for the grill. Once they had finished with that, they sat down on

the porch steps to watch the Bobby and Alannah show. "Is she like that all the time?" Janelle asked. Alex nodded. Janelle

shook her head. "Dang! I thought she was bold for feeling up Rob." Alex looked at her in disbelief. "You saw that?!" "Shoot,

yeah! Me and Drew both saw it." Alex shook her head. Janelle said, "You know, there's this old rap song I used to listen to

when I was younger. I can't remember the name of the song, but there was a line in it that said 'you can't make a ho a

housewife.'"

* * *

Alex pressed her lips together to keep from laughing out loud. "Janelle, you are so bad," she said. Janelle scoffed. "I'm telling

the truth. Now what is Super Freak doing?" Alex turned her head to see what Janelle was talking about. They saw Alannah

run her fingers through Bobby's hair and step away from him. Alex sighed and said, "Telling Bobby that he's old." Janelle

frowned. "She's what now?" "Telling Bobby that he's old," Alex repeated. "3 years ago, Bobby took me out to dinner to

celebrate my birthday at this really nice Italian restaurant. We ran into Alannah and 3 of her snobby girlfriends while we

were waiting for our table. She did that little move and told him that he looked old right there in front of all of us. Bobby tried

to play it off, but I could tell she had just hurt his feelings." Janelle grunted. "Bitch," she said. Alex nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Janelle," Jayson called to his sister. "You and Alex better get over here. Shane's over here talking trash again. Y'all

need to witness his downfall." Janelle looked at Alex as she got up. "You ready to see your brother get his ass whooped?"

Alex scoffed as she got up and followed Janelle. "Fat chance. Jayson's going down."

**

* * *

**

Sunday, August 20

**Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 3:58 pm.**

"Thank you," Angel said as she handed her money to the cab driver. She got out of the cab and closed the door behind her.

She watched the cab pull off before turning around to face the house. She stood there in the middle of the street, staring at

the Eames' home. In one hand, she held a gift bag. It contained Bobby's gift and a birthday card. In the other hand, she held

a bouquet of fresh cut flowers, a thank you gift for Janet Eames. Angel looked around at all of the cars that were parked on

the street. Except for her own car, the only other cars she recognized was Tamera's white Honda Civic and Rob's hunter

green rented Suburban. Of course, if she hadn't been so nervous, she would have recognized Jayson and Tonya's Suburban

and minivan. She juggled the flowers to her other hand, so that she could check in the pocket of her white cargo shorts to

make sure her keys, money and driver's license were in there.

* * *

Angel took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds before letting it go. _"God! What was I thinking?" _she thought. _"Agreeing to _

_come to this party?" _She looked down at her knees because she could have sworn that they were actually knocking

together. _"Child, get a grip before you become a nervous wreck!" _She took a couple more deep breaths to calm herself. Angel

looked at her watch and groaned. It read 3:58 p.m. _"Great! Now you're late, too! Way to go, Angelica Marie!" _She looked back

at her car, wondering if she should just drop off Bobby's gift and leave. _"With all of these people here, he wouldn't miss me not _

_being here." _She shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. _"You promised Bobby that you'd come to his party. Don't you back _

_out now." _She took another deep breath and let it go as she walked up the path to the house.

* * *

Angel knew what she was really nervous about. On the birthday card for Bobby, she had written 3 small words. 3 small

words that pretty much summed up how she felt about him. Her greatest fear was that she would be telling the whole world

that she loved Robert Goren, but that he didn't feel the same way about her. She bit her bottom lip as she stood on the

porch in front of the door. Her index finger hovered near the doorbell. "Well, here goes nothing," she said as she pushed the

button. "Just a moment," a female voice said from inside. Angel smoothed the front of her flowy lavender empire waisted

tank top and glanced at her car one more time before the door opened. She turned back around and saw Janet Eames

standing there with a smile on her face. "Hi. Can I help you?" she asked. Angel took off her purple tinted sunglasses so that

Janet could see her face. "Hi. I'm Angelica Pierson-St. John. I'm here for Robert Goren's party." Janet's face lit up as she

recognized who Angel was. "Of course. You're Janelle's friend," she said, pushing open the screen door. "Come on in."

"Thank you," Angel said as she stepped inside.

* * *

Angel looked around as she waited for Janet to close the door. "How are you?" Janet asked as she walked up to Angel. "I'm

fine, thank you." "That's good to hear." Janet pointed to the gift bag. "I'll take that off your hands and put it with the rest of

Bobby's gifts." Angel handed her the bag. "I'll be right back," Janet said as she walked off towards her bedroom. When she

returned, Angel held out the flowers to Janet. "These are for you." Janet took the proffered flowers, holding them up to her

nose to inhale their fragrance. "Thank you, Angelica. These are very lovely. You didn't have to do that." Angel chuckled,

nodded her head. "Yes, I did. My late maternal grandmother always told us grandkids that it was good manners to bring the

lady of the house a thank you gift when she invited you into her home." Janet smiled, squeezing Angel's hand. "You had a

very wise grandmother. Come on. Follow me through the kitchen. Everyone's outside in the backyard."

* * *

Angel followed Janet towards the kitchen. "I'm sorry for being late. I lost track of time." "That's quite alright. Bobby hasn't

been here too long himself and the boys are getting ready to put the burgers and hot dogs on the grill now," Janet said.

"Loretta, look at the pretty flowers I got." Angel stopped in her tracks as she watched Janet hold the flowers up to Loretta's

nose for her to smell. "Those smell very good," Loretta commented. She turned and smiled at Angel, who was just standing

there, staring at her. "Angel, quit staring and come give me a hug," Loretta said with a laugh. A big smile covered Angel's

face as she walked over to hug Loretta. Angel stepped back and looked at Loretta. "I thought you were cooking dinner for

the whole family at your place," she said. Janet and Loretta looked at each other, knowing smiles on their faces. Angel

looked at both of them, then nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, I see. Y'all lied to your kids," she said. "We didn't lie,"

Loretta said. "We just chose to not tell them what was really going on." "Oh, well. That's totally different." Janet and Loretta

laughed.

* * *

"Do you need any help in here?" Angel asked. Janet shook her head. "No, thank you. We have everything under control

here. Go on out and enjoy yourself." Angel nodded and headed towards the screen door. She paused for a second as she

overheard Janet say to Loretta, "I need to pull Bobby aside and ask him where is this other woman he invited. I need to see

how she compares to Miss Alannah out there." Angel started to turn around and ask Janet what was she talking about, but

she changed her mind. She put her sunglasses back on, took a deep breath and then walked outside onto the porch.

"There's my other baby girl," Eddie Lee said when Angel stepped onto the porch. He and Marisol were watching Benjamin

and Angie play checkers. Angel smiled as she walked over to where he was standing and gave him a hug. She and Marisol

shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. She gave Benjamin a quick peck on the cheek and shook Angie's hand so that

she wouldn't interrupt their game. She waved and smiled at Janelle and Alex as she headed over to where Mike was sitting.

* * *

As she was crossing the porch, Angel saw Bobby heading towards her out of the corner of her eye. She stopped at the top

of the steps to watch him approach. He stopped for a minute, pulling his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose to look at

her. She blushed as she realized he was checking her out from head to toe with a devilish glint in his eye. _"Oh, hell! What are _

_you about to do, Bobby?"_ she thought as she saw a playfully sexy look go across his face when he pushed his shades back

over his eyes and started walking again. She knew that look well. A little too well. The last time she saw that particular look,

they had left Lewis' body shop in a hurry. She had ended up with a hickey on her inner thigh later on that night. A pleasant

memory that caused her to blush and take a cold shower every time she thought about it. Angel bit her lip and moved her

locket up and down its chain as she watched Bobby walk towards her. He walked up the steps and stopped so that he and

Angel were eye to eye.

* * *

"Hi," Bobby said. "Hi. Que pasa, Papi Chulo? What's up?" Angel said softly. A devilish grin crossed his face as he finished

climbing the steps. She stepped back a little as he invaded her space. He crossed his arms behind his back as he leaned

down and whispered huskily in her ear, "Me….in about 5 seconds." Angel grabbed a hold of the end of Bobby's polo as her

toes curled in her K-Swiss shoes. She softly exclaimed, "Oh my!" She had forgotten about being nervous with a come on line

like that aimed at her. Bobby straightened up and looked at her, a smug grin on his lips. "I'm so glad you came," he said.

Angel arched an eyebrow at the double entendre. A sly smile spread across her lips as she said, "In more ways than one."

Bobby's grin turned into a wide smile; Angel returned the smile. He kissed her on the forehead before pulling her into his

arms for a hug. Bobby laid his forehead against Angel's forehead, rubbing his nose against hers, sighing contently.

* * *

A few sets of eyes had been on Bobby and Angel. "Janet. Janet. Janet," Loretta said. "Look at this, Janet." Janet put down

the vase that held her flowers to go see what Loretta was pointing at out the window. "Oh my gosh!" she gasped as she

saw Bobby and Angel embracing. She and Loretta looked at each other in amazement, then laughed. "Well, I guess we

know who the other woman is," Janet said. Loretta just nodded.

* * *

Tonya nudged Janelle in the side rapidly. "Look!" she said. Janelle and Alex both turned their heads to look at Bobby and

Angel. Janelle shrugged. "What am I suppose to be looking at?" she asked nonchalantly. Alex covered her mouth to hide her

smile. Tonya lightly tapped on Janelle's forehead with her knuckles. "Hello?!" she said. "Angel's hugging on Robert!" Janelle

shrugged again. "So?" Tonya put her hands on her hips. "What do you know?" Janelle replied, "Nothing," then turned her

attention back to the domino game. Tonya thumped her on the arm. "What do you know?!" Janelle sighed, rolled her eyes,

turned her head to look at her sister-in-law and said, "I know nothing. So, drop it." Tonya crossed her arms over her chest

and pouted. She didn't like being the last to know about anything.

* * *

"Daddy, is that Uncle Bobby's new friend?" Courtney asked. She and Barbara had split up to help their respective parent get

candid shots of the party. Rob had the camcorder pointed at Angel and Bobby, capturing their intimate moment on film. "Yes,

sweetheart. That's Angel," he replied. Courtney nodded. "She's very pretty." She was quiet for a few seconds, then she

said, "Daddy, is Uncle Bobby gonna marry her someday?" Rob looked down at her and smiled as he patted her cheek. "I

don't know, Court. Maybe." "I hope he does," she said. "Then he won't have to be lonely all the time." Rob chuckled, putting

his arm around Courtney, giving her a little squeeze. _"Spoken like a true romantic matchmaker," _he thought.

* * *

Angel stepped back from Bobby to look up at him. She held his hand and said, "You know we've probably just caused a

scene." Bobby shrugged. "Story of my life," he said. "I cause scenes wherever I go." Angel chuckled softly. She bit her

bottom lip and glanced at the ground before looking back up at Bobby. "I'm sorry for being late. I…I was just thinking about

some things and lost track of time." Bobby shook his head, squeezing her hand. "You don't have to apologize for anything.

I'm just glad you're here now." "Yo, Bobby!" Antonio said, his hands thrown up in the air. "You gonna introduce us to your

friend or what?" Bobby chuckled. "Hold your horses, Tony." He turned to Angel and said, "How about I introduce you to

everybody?" She nodded. "Cool," she replied as she let Bobby lead her by the hand towards Tony and the others.

* * *

After Bobby had introduced Angel to John and Bryce, they were heading to where the kids were playing when all 5 of Jayson

and Tonya's kids descended upon them. "Hi, Auntie Angel!" they all said in unison. "Hey, y'all," Angel said with a laugh as

she picked up Jayna and hugged her. The rest of the kids hugged Angel at the same time. Bobby stepped back and smiled

as he watched Angel get overrun by the kids. He noticed how she managed to smile and acknowledge each one of them as

they talked over each other to talk to her. He also noticed how extra affectionate she was with Jayna, giving her extra hugs

and rubbing noses with her. _"I wonder if she'll be like that with our children," _he thought to himself. Bobby frowned slightly,

wondering where in the hell that thought came from and why did he assume Angel would want to have kids with him.

* * *

Bobby was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Jayna ask, "Auntie Angel, is he going to be our new uncle?" Angel and

Bobby looked at each other in amusement as the kids looked at him. Angel smiled, cleared her throat and said, "Maybe. We'll

see." Jayna shrugged and said, "I hope so. He's cool." Bobby blushed. Angel smiled, giving Jayna one more big squeeze

before setting her on the ground. She hugged the rest of the kids and told them to be good as they went back to do

whatever they were doing. Bobby and Angel were silent as they looked at each other, smiling. Bobby stepped up to Angel

and stroked her cheek. "Is that what you want?" he asked softly. A puzzled look crossed her face before she realized what

Bobby was trying to say. Angel opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head. "You don't have to answer

now," he said. "Just think it about it." Angel nodded and said, "Okay." Bobby smiled and said, "Come on. I'll introduce you to

Alex's nieces and nephews." She smiled as she followed Bobby.

* * *

Alannah sighed dramatically as she followed Bobby and Angel with her eyes. "Alannah, what's wrong?" Chazen asked. "Look

at that woman with Robert," she said. Chazen turned to look at Angel. "What about her?" Alannah answered, "That's who

I'm competing against to get Robert back. She's beautiful, but she's just a child. Too bad I'm going to have to crush her

spirit. She'd make an excellent playmate for me." Chazen rubbed her hand. "Alannah, why in the world do you want Robert

anyway? I mean look at him. He's old, overweight and a simple cop. I bet he doesn't even have a college degree. He can't

possibly give you the finer things in life you want and desire. I'm much more better than him." Alannah smiled. "It's the

principle, Chazen. I decide when I'm done with a lover, not the other way around. No offense to you, but sex with Robert is

unbelievable. He knows how to do things in bed that I'm surprised he knows how to do despite the fact he comes from a

lower working class background. I have no intention of letting his sexual prowess get away from me."

* * *

Alannah paused to stroke Chazen's cheek. She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically again. "If a HINT of mutual exclusivity

is what it takes to make Robert crawl on his knees back to me, I'll give him that for about a month before I use my charms to

convince him that we should return to status quo." Chazen chuckled, then kissed the inside of Alannah's wrist. "And what

amazing charms they are," he said. Alannah gave Chazen a kiss on the cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bobby

and Angel head in their direction. Alannah stood up, with Chazen following her lead as the couple got close to them.

* * *

"Angel," Bobby said, "I'd like for you to meet Alannah Fitzgerald and Chazen Caldwell. Alannah, Chazen, this is Angelica

Pierson-St. John." "Pleased to meet you both," Angel said as she shook their hands. Alannah held onto Angel's hand a little

bit longer, looking her up and down before letting go. Angel mentally rolled her eyes. _"Here we go," _she thought. "I'm

pleased to meet you as well, Angelica," she said. "That is such an…interesting accent you have. Where are you from

exactly?" Angel didn't like the condescending tone that had crept into Alannah's voice, but she chose to keep her cool. She

had heard worse said about how she sounded growing up. Instead she replied, "I was born in Madrid, Spain. I was 4 when

my parents moved back here to the States. Nashville, Tennessee to be exact." Bobby smiled to himself as he saw Alannah's

eyebrows raise in surprise to the feisty tone in Angel's voice. _"Hmm. Alannah just met her match," _he thought.

* * *

Chazen snapped his fingers and said to Angel, "Your face looks vaguely familiar. Did you ever perform at a club near Hudson

University?" She nodded. "The Hip Hudson Clubhouse. With my group, The Saints. We were there in October 1998." "I

thought so. My youngest brother dragged me and some of his friends there. You sang very well." "Thank you." Alannah

looked down her nose at Angel. "Oh. You're a singer," she said with disdain. "That's so…so droll." Angel just looked at

Alannah and chuckled, shaking her head. "Alannah," Bobby said warningly. She turned to look at him with a "what-did-I-do"

expression on her face. Bobby frowned at her. She then looked at Angel. "I'm sorry," Alannah said with feigned sincerity,

"Did I say something to offend you?" "Uh, no. You didn't," Angel replied. _"Good grief, Bobby. How in the world do you put up _

_with her high class ass?" _she thought to herself.

* * *

"Angel!" She turned her head at the sound of Janelle's voice. "Come here and tell your brother-in-law to give up all hope of

winning." Angel smiled and said, "I'll be there in a sec." She turned to Alannah and Chazen and said, "It was nice to meet

you." Then she touched Bobby's arm, gave him a little smile and walked off. "Que una bruja," she muttered under her breath

as she put some distance between her and Alannah. Bobby stepped up to Alannah. Even with the shades on, she could see

the disapproving look in his eyes. "You were being rude," he said. "Robert, I was not being rude," she said. "I was being

very polite. I would never be rude to any of your…little friends." Bobby narrowed his eyes, just staring at Alannah. She

stared back at him. He scoffed as he shook his head. "Whatever," he said as he walked off. "Go to hell." He headed to

where Angel was standing.

* * *

Alex, Angel, and Janelle were watching the little exchange between Bobby and Alannah. "What do you think of Super

Freak?" Janelle asked. "Ella es una bruja," Angel replied. "No, ella es una cabrona," Janelle countered. "I like what Janelle

said better," Alex said. Angel chuckled and said, "You would." She watched Bobby as he headed towards them. When Bobby

reached them, he massaged the back of his neck and gave Angel a wry smile. "Sorry about that," he said. Angel smiled and

shook her head. "That's okay. She's just being herself." "I know Alannah's being herself, but that's still no excuse for her

being rude." Courtney came running up to Bobby. "Uncle Bobby," she said, "Daddy wants to get a picture of me and you with

Uncle Lewis." Bobby looked down and smiled at her. "Okay." She looked up expectantly at him, then glanced at Angel before

looking back at Bobby. He got the hint. "Um, Angel, I'd like for you to meet my goddaughter Courtney. Courtney, this is my

friend Angel."

* * *

"Hi," Courtney said shyly as she held out her hand to Angel. "You're very pretty." Angel chuckled as she shook her hand.

"Well, thank you, Courtney. So are you. I'm very pleased to meet you. Your uncle Bobby and your dad have told me a lot

about you." "Really? Like what?" "Oh, let's see. I know your favorite color is blue, you like to draw, go swimming, your

favorite food is spaghetti, and that you want to be either a teacher or a web designer like your dad when you grow up."

Courtney's eyes widened in surprise as Angel rattled off her favorite things. "Wow," she exclaimed quietly. Courtney thought

for a minute before she asked, "Is it okay to give you a hug?" Angel smiled and nodded. "Sure." Courtney wrapped her arms

around Angel's waist and sighed contently as Angel hugged her back. _"I'm getting a new aunt," _she thought to herself.

* * *

Courtney let go of Angel, smiled and took Bobby's hand. "Come on, Uncle Bobby," she said as she pulled at him. Bobby

almost tripped over his own feet as he as let himself be dragged by a pint size burst of energy. "Courtney, slow down," he

said with a laugh as they walked off. "I think you've just scored some major points with Courtney," Alex said to Angel. Angel

chuckled and said, "Bobby told me that she was worried that I wouldn't like her. I was just trying to put her mind at ease."

"I bet she'll be calling you Auntie Angel before this party is over," Janelle said. She groaned heavily as she watched Alannah

come towards them. "Now what does this mofo want?" she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Alannah stopped and smiled at the little group before focusing her attention on Angel. "Angelica, may I have a word with

you? In private?" Janelle opened her mouth to protest, but Angel discreetly pinched her on the arm to shut her up. "Yeah,

sure." Alannah smirked. "Thank you. Let's go talk on the front porch," she said and walked off towards the house. Angel

followed her. Alex and Janelle started to follow Angel, but she turned around to look at them. "Where are y'all going?" Alex

and Janelle looked at each other, then at her and said in unison, "With you." Angel shook her head. "Quédese aquí. Both of

you stay here." "Whatever Alannah has to say, she can say in front of us," Alex said. "That's right," Janelle chimed in. "There

will be no secrets up in here." Angel crossed her arms over chest and looked at them intensely from behind her shades. She

shook her head again. "STAY here. I can handle her," she stressed. Reluctantly, Alex and Janelle put up their hands in defeat

and took a step back from Angel. "Thank you," she said. "If Alannah puts her hands on you, we're both coming to whip her

ass," Janelle said. Angel smiled. "I'll keep that in mind," she said before turning around and walking towards the house.

* * *

Lewis, Rob and Bobby had watched Alannah and Angel walk into the house. "I wonder what's up with that," Lewis said. "I

don't know," Bobby said, "but I'm about to put an end to." He started to walk off, but Rob blocked his way. "Let them work

it," Rob said. "Your being there will make things that much more complicated." He pointed with his head towards Alex and

Janelle. "Besides, I think Angel's got a couple of bodyguards to handle the situation." Lewis clapped Bobby on the shoulder

and smiled. "Yep. This is the first party I've been to that a guaranteed girl fight will break out. Thanks, Bobby." Bobby

groaned. "Lewis, get your mind out of the gutter." He shook his head as he let Rob's words sink into his brain. He decided

he'd give Alannah and Angel 5 minutes alone together before he'd go and break them up.

* * *

Angel sat on the swing with one leg tucked underneath her while Alannah leaned against the railing when they reached the

front porch. Alannah just stared at Angel as she thought about the most polite way she could tell Angel to take a hike and

leave Bobby alone. "I'm curious, Angelica," she said. "How long have you known Robert?" "I met Bobby 2 years ago." "It's

Robert," Alannah said in a haughty correcting tone. Angel made a face. "Excuse me?" Alannah sighed dramatically and said,

"His name is Robert, not Bobby." Angel crossed her arms over her chest. "What difference does it make whether you refer to

Bobby by his proper name or nickname?" she asked. "Robert is a manly name. Bobby sounds so childish. And my Robert is

definitely a man, not a boy." Angel rolled her eyes. "Oy vey," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Alannah said, "I'm going to get straight to the point, Angelica. I want Robert back." Angel raised her eyebrows. "Really?

Why?" she asked. Alannah scoffed. "It's obvious, dear. I always get what I want. I've known Robert longer than you have.

I'm better equipped than you to give him whatever he wants sexually and financially. I can take him away from all of this."

Angel frowned slightly. "Let me get this straight. Just because you have practiced every technique listed in the Kama Sutra

with enough men to fill the Manhattan phonebook and that you have more money than me that makes you better suited to

be with Bobby? Lady, you're out of your mind!" Alannah clicked her tongue. "My, my, my. Your jealousy is showing." Angel let

out a sarcastic laugh. "Don't get it twisted, Alannah. I'm not jealous of you at all. What do you think you'd be taking Bobby

away from?"

* * *

Alannah gestured with her hands. "I can take Robert away from this…mundane working class existence he has and give him

a life of wealth and power. He will want for nothing." Angel shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my God! You're trying to make

Bobby into a kept man! You're trying to make him into someone that he's not. Someone he wouldn't want to be. Do you

even care about what he wants or needs?" Alannah scoffed. "Please! As long as I'm by Robert's side, it doesn't matter what

he wants or needs. I can make him look better than he does now. Besides, what do you think you know about Robert?"

Angel jumped up onto her feet, hands on her hips. "There's nothing wrong with Bobby's physical features. He's fine as is. I

may not know a lot about Bobby, but I do know that he's a kind, gentle and loving man who wants more out of a

relationship than just sex. Don't you think Bobby wants to settle down someday with a wife and kids? That he would want

what passes for normal in a relationship? You don't want Bobby back to give him those things. You want him back so that

you can be the one to break up the relationship first."

* * *

Alannah stood up, her arms crossed and her weight shifted to one side. She was slightly pissed that her bluff had been

called. "What I want Robert back for is none of your business," she said with a phony sweet tone. "However, I can tell you

one thing. I would make one hell of a wife for him. Now, as for children, we would adopt them because I would NOT wreck

this perfectly toned body by giving birth. Not even for Robert." Angel took a step towards Alannah, looking up at her with her

head cocked to the side. "Now, see that's the difference between you and me. Because I would wreck, as you so bluntly put

it, my body to bear a child for Bobby." Alannah scoffed. "That would be stupid. Robert is a dog like all the other men I know

and have been with." Angel raised an eyebrow as she let out a wry chuckle. "If you think Bobby is a dog, then you have him

mixed up with one of your boy toys. He's not that kind of man."

* * *

Angel copied Alannah's pose as she looked at her. "I'm not going to idly standby and let you break Bobby's heart because

you think of him as some sexual plaything that you can pull out for your own pleasure whenever you feel like it. Believe it or

not, Alannah, Bobby's actually a human being with feelings." Alannah scoffed. "Of course, Robert is human. A very sexually

talented human with a healthy sexual appetite that only I could satisfy." Alannah regarded Angel, looking her up and down

with a lascivious glint in her eyes as she took a step closer to her. "However, I could be persuaded to turn my attention

elsewhere," she said in a sultry voice. Angel chuckled as she took a step back. She knew what Alannah was alluding to.

"Sorry, sweetie," she said with a smile, "I'm strictly dick-ly." Alannah let out a little sigh as she said, "Too bad. It would have

been fun taking you for a roll in the hay." Angel rolled her eyes. "Oh, brother," she muttered quietly.

* * *

"So, what you're telling me, Angelica, is that you're not going to give Robert back to me?" Alannah asked. "Well, Bobby's not

mine to give, but I'm not going to let you hurt him because he doesn't want to be your friend with benefits any more."

Alannah and Angel stared at each other. "Fine," Alannah said with a smirk. "I'll just have to use my charming personality to

convince Robert to come to my hotel room after this little party is over." Angel shrugged nonchalantly, a calm and confident

look on her face. "You can try if you want to, but I seriously doubt you'll get Bobby to do that." With that, Angel walked

passed Alannah and into the house. She let out a shaky sigh as she headed towards the kitchen. _"Lord, please let me be _

_right about the kind of person I know Bobby to be."_


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Notes: Well, here it is as I promised. Bobby's musical surprise from the Eames grandchildren. The song is set to the tune of "Camptown Races." I'd like to dedicate this chapter to deliriousdancer because she's the only one who knew what song I was doing and she didn't kill me when I didn't include it in the previous chapter. LOL Thank you very much, deliriousdancer for your patience. I hope I did okay. **

**Okay, folks. I'm going to leave this chapter in the regular format instead of my usual "weird" format. I'm just going to insert a lot of page breaks after the paragraphs. I will go back to the "weird" format if I need to.**

**Janelle's chanting style comes from the "Nutty Professor" movie. You know, the one with Eddie Murphy ("Hercules. Hercules. Hercules.") You get the idea. LOL**

**As always, thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed this story. I truly appreciate it. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just taking them for a spin. Any and all mistakes are my own. Read, review and enoy. :o)**

* * *

**Sunday, August 20  
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 4:05 p.m.**

Alex and Janelle converged on Angel when she came out of the house onto the porch and down the steps. "Are you okay?"Alex asked. Angel nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm fine." "Are you sure?" Janelle asked. Angel sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mama Hen. I'm sure that I'm fine," she said with a chuckle. Janelle nudged her and asked, "What did Super Freak have tosay for herself?" Angel opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the words to sum up her conversation withAlannah. "Alannah is…whipped. Very whipped," she said, choosing her words very carefully. Alex and Janelle exchangedpuzzled looks. "What does that mean?" Alex asked. "It means that all Alannah wants Bobby for is sex. Plain and simple. To her, Bobby is a live 6 foot 4, walking, talking vibrator, not a real person." Alex and Janelle simply said, "Oh."

Alannah came out of the house and walked down the stairs. She smirked as she looked Angel up and down before heading to where Chazen was sitting. "What was that look for?" Janelle asked. Angel shrugged. "Just her way of saying that she's better than me, I guess," she replied. Bobby walked up to the group. "You okay?" he asked Angel. She nodded. "I'm fine." He lifted her shades up to look into her eyes, to see if she had been crying. He chuckled as she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, you're okay," Bobby said as he put Angel's shades back down. She smiled. "You gonna tell me what you two talked about?" he asked. Angel shook her head and said, "Nah. We didn't talk about anything that you should be concerned about." Bobby looked at Alex and Janelle. Janelle shook her head. "She wouldn't tell us either," she said.

* * *

The music stopped suddenly. Janet stood on the porch and said very loudly, "Time to eat, everybody!" She pointed to the table where Shannon was sitting and said, "Adults sit over here!" Then she pointed to the table where Shane was sitting and said, "Everybody under the age of 18 sit over there!" She turned the music back on and walked down the steps, heading towards Bobby. "Why don't you sit at the head of the table in that folding chair?" she said. "That way everybody can see and talk to you." "Okay, sure," he said. Janet looked at him, then looked at Angel. She smiled and patted Bobby on the back before walking off. "What was that all about?" Angel asked. Bobby shrugged. "THAT," Alex said as she looked at Bobby, "was Mom's patented subtle way of saying she wants details of what's going on between you and Angel."

Janelle grunted and said, "Hmmph. Well, if that was subtle, then the Mack Truck is about to run us all the hell over." She pointed with her chin at Loretta, who had a determined look on her face and was heading straight towards Angel. "Ay Dios mió," Angel said softly under her breath. Loretta smiled up at the group, then focused her attention on Angel. "Baby Girl, why don't you sit next to me at the table?' she asked sweetly. Before Angel could open her mouth to respond, Jayna and Courtney ran up to her. "Auntie Angel," Jayna started, "you gonna sit with us at the kids' table?" She looked down at the girls and smiled. "I sure will," she replied. She turned to Loretta, patted her on the arm and said with a smile, "Sorry, Mama LoLo, I'm going to sit with the kids." Jayna and Courtney smiled and each took one of Angel's hands and pulled her towards the food line.

* * *

Janelle covered her mouth and snickered. "You just got voted off the island," she muttered. Loretta looked at Janelle and frowned. "What'd you say, Janelle?!" she asked sharply. Bobby and Alex exchanged amused glances as they watched Janelle uncover her mouth and straighten up. "Nothing, Mama." She grabbed Bobby and Alex by the arm and pulled them away from Loretta. "I said we're going to get in line," she said over her shoulder. Loretta grunted. "That's what I thought you said." Alex smirked at Janelle. "You're scared of your mother," she said. Janelle rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up," she said playfully.

When Bobby sat down to eat, he just looked around at everyone and smiled. He felt happy and overwhelmed at the same time to be surrounded by people who truly loved and cared for him. He was fascinated by how they all interacted with each other, how well they managed to find some kind of common ground beside their friendship to him to communicate. Hell, he was surprised by how Alannah and Chazen were actually holding a conversation with Dr. Rogers despite the fact they had been keeping to themselves for most of the time. _"Guess Dr. Rogers isn't too common for them," _he thought. Alannah looked at him and arched an eyebrow, a mysterious smile on her face. Bobby wondered what Alannah and Angel had talked about. If Angel wasn't going to tell him, surely Alannah's loose lips would spill the beans. "You okay?" Alex asked, touching Bobby's arm. He nodded. "Yeah. Just lost in thought for a second," he replied. She pointed at the untouched coleslaw on his plate. "I slaved over a cold refrigerator to make that coleslaw especially for you. You better eat it all." Bobby laughed. "Yes, ma'am. I will." He looked around again at everyone before taking a bite of his coleslaw. "_Yep. Everybody's happy."_

* * *

Jimmy Deakins stood up and knocked on the table, trying to get everyone's attention. "May I have everyone's attention for a minute?" he asked. "Quiet down a little, everyone," Johnny said, "Jimmy has something to say." All of the talking died down. Deakins smiled at Johnny and gave him the thumbs up signal. He raised his plastic cup into the air and looked at Bobby. "I'd like to propose a toast to the man of the hour, Robert Goren. A great man, a great detective and a great friend. There's an old Irish blessing that says 'Wishing you a rainbow for sunlight after showers,  
miles and miles of Irish smiles for golden happy hours, shamrocks at your doorway for luck and laughter too, and a host of friends that never ends each day your whole life through.' I wish you a happy birthday and hope you have many, many more to come." Then he sat down. Everyone raised their glasses and cheered while Bobby just smiled and blushed at the heartfelt toast from his former captain. "Thank you, sir," he finally managed to say.

* * *

After everyone had finished eating their fill of hamburgers and hotdogs, Janet and Loretta brought out the birthday cake, while Johnny and Alex brought out the gifts. They placed everything on a separate table near the coolers of ice. Jill and all of the Eames grandchildren had gone into the house. Bobby started to go look at his cake, but Janet motioned for him to sit down. "Not yet, Bobby. Not yet." She went and turned off the music again. She clapped her hands together as she stood at the top of the porch steps. "Before we let Bobby cut his cake and open his gifts, we're going to have a little entertainment. I have no idea what it is, so I'm going to turn it over to Jill." On cue, Jill came out of the house. She was wearing on her head a plastic green derby that was leftover from St. Patrick's Day. Janet did a double take before she went to sit down next to Johnny.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce to you the Eames-Hampton Singing Troupe." Jill said. "They have been working all week long on a special surprise musical number for their Uncle Bobby. So, without further ado, please put your hands together as the Eames-Hampton Singing Troupe comes to the stage." Everyone in the "audience" clapped their hands and laughed as Jill went and opened the screen door. The Eames grandchildren came walking out, single file, in order according to their height, with Christopher bringing up the rear. They all had plastic green derbies on their heads like Jill except they had some letters on theirs. Each one was carrying a straight black cane with a white tip on the end. When they lined up across the porch, the letters on their hats formed the words "We heart Bobby!" Bobby chuckled and shook his head at the sight. "I heart you guys, too," he said with a laugh.

* * *

Jill went and stood at the end of the line next to Christopher. She pulled a harmonica out of the pocket of her shorts. "Everybody ready?" she said. "Ready!" the kids said in unison, putting their canes in front of them to lean on. Jill blew a note on the harmonica and the kids started to sway and sing:

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bobby  
Doo-da, Doo-da  
Happy Birthday, Uncle Bobby  
Oh, de doo-da day

We hope you really like this song  
Doo-da, Doo-da  
We worked on it all week long  
Oh, de doo-da day

You know we love you so  
That's why we sing and dance  
To see you smile and laugh  
That's why we're taking this chance, oh

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bobby  
Doo-da, Doo-da  
Happy Birthday, Uncle Bobby  
Oh, de doo-da daaaaaaay!

* * *

At the end of the last verse, the kids all got down on one knee and waved their hats in the air. Everyone got up on their feet, clapping and cheering. Bobby was all smiles as he clapped the loudest. "That was great, you guys!" he exclaimed as he walked to the bottom of the steps. "Happy birthday, Uncle Bobby!" the kids said in unison as they came down the steps to hug Bobby all over again. "Did you really like it, Uncle Bobby?" Barbara asked. He looked down at her, smiling and nodding. "I most certainly did." She gave him an extra squeeze around the middle. "Okay, guys. Go put your hats in the bag and come back out for cake," Jill said as she came down the steps. She handed her hat and Christopher's hat to Brianna. "Come on, Christopher," Brianna said as she took her baby brother's hand and led him up the steps into the house.

Alex walked up as Bobby gave Jill a hug and a peck on the cheek. "That was great, Jill," he said. She did a little curtsy. "Thank you, kind sir." Alex gave her a hug, too. "How in the world did you manage to keep that a secret?" she asked. Jill sighed as she shrugged. "There's going to be a big pizza party at my house this upcoming weekend. You and Bobby are welcome to come if you're not on duty," she said. Alex nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, yeah. Bribery does work well with kids." While Bobby had been talking to Jill and Alex, Janet had some help in moving the gift table and the birthday cake closer. When all of the Eames grandchildren had came back outside, Janet took Bobby by the hand and led him to his cake "Wow!" he exclaimed as he admired the cake. "This is a great! How did you get a picture of my badge?" he asked. Janet pointed at Alex. "She lifted your badge out of your pocket one day to take the picture for me." Bobby chuckled as he shook his head. "Great. I'm partnered with a damn pickpocket."

* * *

Janet lit the candles on the cake. She raised her hands as if she were conducting an orchestra and said, "Okay, everybody, we sing 'Happy Birthday' on the count of three. Ready? 1,2,3." Everyone started singing on her mark. Bobby briefly closed his eyes, then opened them to blow out the candles on his cake. "What did you wish for?" Rob asked. Bobby shook his head. "I'm not telling," he said. "He probably wished for a 1967 Shelby GT500," Lewis blurted. Bobby just laughed. "Do you want to the cut the cake or do you want me to do it," Janet asked. "You can do it," he replied. She handed him the knife. "Then you make the first cut and I'll do the rest." Bobby cut the cake, cutting a corner piece for himself before handing the knife back to Janet. She pointed with her head at the gift table. "You go and open up your gifts while Alex and I hand out the cake."

Bobby rubbed his hands together, excited like a little kid as he walked over to the gift table. "This is the best part," he said as he picked up a small box. "Whatever you don't like, you can give it to me," Shane said. Bobby gave him a "yeah, right" look before he started ripping the paper off. "You gotta tell us who gave it to you, you big do-do," Rob said with a laugh. "There's no need for name calling, Robby-Boy," Bobby said as he shook his finger at him. He picked up the piece of wrapping that had the gift tag on it. "It's from Alannah," he said. He looked at her and smiled. She smiled and winked. He lifted the lid on the box. Inside were 2 gold tie clips. One had his initials on it, the other had 3 diagonal lines with 3 diamond stones on it. "Thank you, Alannah," he said as he turned the box around for everyone to see. "You're welcome, Robert." She looked over at Angel and smirked. Angel just rolled her eyes and chuckled. Janelle leaned over to her and whispered, "You want me to clock this bitch one good time in the mouth?" Angel made a face, shaking her head. "No violence, Janelle. Behave!" she whispered back.

* * *

"Open the one with the balloons on it, Uncle Bobby," Justina, Sean, and Brianna said at the same time. Bobby held up the gift they were talking about. "This one?" he asked. "Yes, that one," they said. He ripped the paper off the gift. It was a scrapbook. "Oh, God," he said with a laugh as he looked at the cover. On it was a picture of Bobby dressed up in a Humpty Dumpty costume that was taken 3 years ago at a community center where he, Alex and other Major Case Squad members had volunteered to be a part of a play. The words "Our Uncle Bobby: What A Good Egg" surrounded the picture. "Alex! I thought you got rid of this picture," he said as he turned the book towards her. Alex laughed. "Are you kidding me?!" she said, still laughing. "That's a very cute picture."

Bobby groaned and shook his head. He flipped through the pages of the scrapbook. On each page was a picture of Bobby with each individual Eames grandchild. They each had decorated and written something special on their page. Of course, Christopher's page had colorful scribbles on it. "Thank you, guys," he said with a smile. "You're welcome," the kids said together. Bobby started to lay the book back down on the table, but Angie Deakins came up and snatched it out of his hands. "I think we all need to see this," she said playfully, walking back to her seat. Bobby just groaned again.

* * *

The next 2 gifts Bobby opened were a white dress shirt with 2 ties and a laptop computer with a webcam that were from Courtney and Rob respectively. "Now, you can keep in touch with Courtney," Rob said. Courtney ran up to Bobby to give him a hug. "Mom helped me pick out the ties," she said. "They're very nice. I love them. Thank you, Courtney." He gave her another squeeze before she went to sit back down. Then Bobby opened the leather binder gift from Alex, Mike and Megan. "Thank you. This is very nice," he said as ran his hand over the smooth leather and the small plate that had his name engraved on it. "You're welcome," Megan said. Bobby exclaimed, "Whoa!" as he opened the gift from Antonio. It was a bottle of Gran Patron Platinum Tequila, the very, very good sipping stuff. "We'll drink that later when the kids are gone," Antonio said. Bobby laughed as he gave him the thumbs up sign. "Thanks, man."

Bobby opened a birthday card that was from the Hamilton and Spencer families, which every one, including the kids, had signed. Inside of it was 5 new and crisp 100 bills. His eyes widen in surprise. "We didn't know what to get you," Janelle said. "So, we decided that would work." Bobby at a loss for words. His mouth was agape as he looked at Janelle and Drew in disbelief. He was amazed that people he had just met would give him a large monetary gift such as this. Angel chuckled as she leaned over towards Drew and Janelle. "Bobby doesn't realize that our families normally do big things like this." Janelle nodded in agreement. "Apparently so. If your family was here, he'd have over a thousand dollars easy in that card. He'd probably pass out then." Bobby finally found his voice and said, "Thank you all very much." "You're very welcome, sweetie," Loretta said.

* * *

Janet walked up to Bobby and touched his arm. "This gift is from Johnny, me, the rest of the Eames family, the Deakins, the Carvers and Dr. Rogers," she said, pointing behind Bobby. He turned around and saw Johnny coming down the steps with a black suit carrier in his hand. Johnny opened the carrier and pulled out a charcoal gray suit with thin white pinstripes. He handed it to Bobby. He stood there admiring the suit in awe. "I hope you like it," Angie said. "Paula and I picked out the color." Bobby nodded, smiling. "I like it. I was thinking about getting this later in the year. Thank you." He handed the suit back to Johnny, who put it into the carrier and took it back into the house.

"Oh, Lord," Angel muttered softly under her breath as Bobby reached for her gift. _"Don't read the card. Don't read the card," _she kept saying over and over again in her head. "Last, but certainly not least," he said as pulled the envelope out of the bag. "This is from…from Angel," he said, reading the tag on the bag. _"Ah, crap! He's going to read the flipping card!" _she thought. Angel looked at the ground while Bobby opened the envelope and started reading the card. On the front of the card was a small gray mouse holding a humongous two-tiered white cake with the words "Happy Birthday" on it. Next to the mouse were the words, "This is me…." On the inside, the rest of the message said, "….bringing you all the birthday wishes my heart can hold!" Underneath that, hand written in purple ink was "I Love You. Angel."

Bobby blinked twice to make sure he read the words correctly. _"She said 'I love you' first," _he thought. He didn't know if he should feel relieved or scared that Angel said the L word first. He just knew that she let it be known how she felt about him in a simple card. He looked at her and smiled when she looked up. Angel gave him a small smile before she bit her lip and looked at the ground again. _"I shouldn't have said 'I love you.' This is not the place to have said that. I just made a fool of myself." _Bobby put the card in one of his cargo pockets before ripping the paper off of his gift and opening the box. "Thank you, Angel," he said, slipping the watch on his right arm. "This is great." Angel looked up and smiled. "You're welcome," she said.

* * *

"Speech! Speech!" Rob said. "Yeah! Speech! Speech!" Lewis said. Then everyone started saying "Speech! Speech!" Bobby smiled as he stepped away from the gift table and moved to where he could see everybody. He held up his hands to quiet them down. "Um, I…I really don't know what to say," he said as he started moving his hands. "I…I just want to thank you all for being here and helping me celebrate my birthday. It's…it's…It does an old man's heart some good to know that he has friends and family who love and care for him." Everyone laughed. "Uh, um, thank you all for the wonderful gifts. I really didn't…expect to receive anything but some birthday wishes and maybe a card or 2. Kids, thank you for the musical surprise. I really enjoyed it. I just…just want to say thank you all for being my friends, family, co-workers, colleagues. I may have an odd way of showing it, but I do I know I'm very…fortunate to have you in my life."

Everyone started to clap when Bobby cleared his throat as he reached in his pocket and pulled out Janet's and Alex's gifts. "Um, I…I have thank you gifts for Alex and Janet. Please come up here." Alex and Janet looked at each other as they walked towards Bobby and stood on either side of him. He handed Janet her gift first. "Thank you for…for doing all of this for me. Words can't describe how much you, Johnny and the rest of the Eames family mean to me," he said. Janet started to get teary eyed as she opened her gift. "These bracelets are beautiful, Bobby," she said. "Thank you." She got up on her tiptoes and kissed Bobby's cheek before giving him a hug. "You are always welcome in our home and in our family," she said. Bobby ducked his head and smiled before turning to Alex.

Bobby handed Alex her gift. "Thank…thank you for being my friend and my partner and for not letting my….eccentricities scare you away." She nudged him in the arm as she opened her gift.. Alex put an arm around his waist and squeezed as she admired her new watch. Bobby squeezed her back. She looked up at him and said, "Thank you. It's very beautiful." He smiled down at her and squeezed again. "You're welcome." Janet and Alex walked back to their seats and showed off their new trinkets.

* * *

Bobby looked down at the ground for a second before he cleared his throat again. _"Here goes nothing," _he thought to himself. He took a deep breath and said, "I…I have one more thank you gift to give that is extra special. Angel, could…could you come up here for a second, please?" All eyes fell on Angel as she looked at Bobby with wide eyes. She pointed at herself and asked, "You talking to me?" Bobby laughed. "Yes, I'm talking to you. Come here." He felt like he was re-enacting a scene from 'Taxi Driver.' Janelle started clapping her hands and chanting "Angel. Angel. Angel" when Angel stood up. She turned around and shook a finger at Janelle. "You stop that," she said with a laugh. She walked up to Bobby and stood next to him. He reached into his pocket, pulled out her gift and handed it to her. "This is for you," he said quietly.

Angel tore the paper off the box and lifted the lid. Her mouth fell open as she saw the gold band. Loud gasps ran through the crowd as she blurted "Oh my God!" out loudly before clamping her hand tightly over her mouth. "He just gave her a ring!" Janelle yelled before she covered her mouth with both hands. A big smile spread over her face as she rocked back and forth, trying to contain her excitement. Tears formed in Angel's eyes as she looked back and forth between the ring and Bobby. He smiled as he calmly took the ring out of its box and placed it on the 3rd finger of her right hand. He patted his heart as he thought of what he was going to say. Finally, Bobby said, "This…this belongs to you now. You hold it in…in your hands. Be careful with it, okay?" He laid her right hand on his heart , then laid his hand on top of hers. "I love you, Angel."

* * *

Cell phones with cameras were pulled out as Bobby put that ring on Angel's finger. Angel, with her mouth still covered, just looked at Bobby, tears flowing down her face. All of the kids started murmuring amongst themselves. "Mama, does this mean Auntie Angel is getting married?" Jayna asked. Tonya shook her head and said, "No, baby. Not yet." "Grandma, are we getting a new aunt?" Shana asked Janet. "It looks like it, dear," she replied through happy tears. "Uncle Lewis," Courtney said, "do you think it would be okay if I called her Auntie Angel?" Lewis put his arm around her shoulders and replied, "I think Angel would like that. I know that would make your Uncle Bobby very happy if you called her that."

* * *

Alannah shook her head in disbelief. "That's my ring she's wearing," she said softly to herself Chazen tried to put a comforting arm around her, but she pushed it away. "That's my Robert and my ring that little tramp is trying to take away from me," she hissed at him. "Big deal," Chazen said. "You can do much better than him." Alannah turned and looked at him, her emerald green eyes flashing with fire. "No one, and I mean NO ONE, takes anything that belongs to me unless I say so. And I haven't said so!" She turned head to look at Bobby and Angel, a stony look on her face. _"Oh, yes, Miss Angel. Robert IS coming with me whether you like it or not."_

* * *

Angel still had her mouth covered as she looked at the ring on her right hand. Bobby's declaration of love still rang in her ears as she gripped at his shirt. Bobby looked down at her, wondering if she was happy, sad or what. He leaned down to catch her eye. "I…I really wish you'd say something," he said. "Are you happy?" Despite the fact that her mouth was still covered, he could see the smile on her face as she nodded her head vigorously. "Baby Girl, you gotta say something," Loretta said. Angel shook her head. _"I don't know what to say. I can't breathe," _she thought to herself. "Breathe, Baby Girl! Breathe!" Janelle said. She chuckled as she shook her head and thought, _"Dang! I had to tell her that when Garvin popped the question."_

Angel slowly removed her hand from her mouth. She took a couple of deep breaths and then softly said through her tears, "Te amo con todo mi corazón, Bobby," before she wrapped her arm around his waist and put her cheek on his chest. Bobby smiled as he put his arms around her and rested his cheek on top of her head. "Te amo, Angel," he said before everyone started to surround them. Angel peeked out from behind her hand and smiled as their friends and family started congratulating them. Alannah inched her way to Bobby and tapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Robert," she said sarcastically. She looked down her nose at Angel. "Congratulations, Angelica." "Thank you," Angel said with a smirk. Alannah grunted before she leaned to whisper in Bobby's ear, "I want to speak with you. Alone. NOW!"

* * *

Bobby looked down at Angel. She stepped away from him and nodded. "Go do whatever you need to do," she said. Bobby excused himself as he followed Alannah up the steps into the house. Janelle walked up to Angel and gave her a sideways hugs. "Congrats, Baby Girl," she said. "Thank you," Angel said. She turned her head as Janelle discreetly pointed at Bobby and Alannah. He was holding the door open for her. She angrily brushed passed him so fast that she almost knocked him over before he followed her in. "All hell about to break loose?" Janelle asked. Angel nodded. "You know what they say. 'Hell hath no fury like a Super Freak scorned.'"


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's notes: I'm back from vacationing in Gatlinburg! It was a great trip. A great and much needed trip. LOL If anyone's interested, the book of poetry I refer to in this chapter is called "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." It's a really good book, I think. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin in my imagination. Thank you as always to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review. I'm always grateful for that. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

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Sunday, August 20  
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 6:08 p.m.

Bobby led Alannah down the hall to the bedroom he had changed clothes in. He let her walk in ahead of him. As soon as he had closed the door and turned around, she had tossed her sunglasses onto the bed and advanced on him, poking him in the chest with her index finger. "What the hell was that?!" Alannah hissed through her teeth, emphasizing each word with a poke. Bobby calmly removed his sunglasses and tossed them on the bed. "What was what?" he said. She poked at his chest again. "THAT fucking fiasco that just went down! That's what!" Bobby crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. "You are unbelievable," he said with a wry chuckle. "That was not a fiasco. THAT was called me making a choice and moving on."

Alannah took a step back and scoffed. "You make a choice and choose that little girl over me without even giving me a chance?! You have got to be kidding me!" Bobby pointed a finger at her. "I gave you a chance!" he said in a raised voice. "Last year, remember? I asked you to spend some time with me someplace else outside of a hotel room. You, in your own unique way, flat out told me no. That I'm only good enough to be with you to fill your…fuck card when your other men back out on you." She waved a dismissive hand. "Robert, that's in the past. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you put a ring on the wrong woman's finger. You need to correct the situation."

* * *

Bobby stepped away from Alannah, running his fingers through his hair. "Doesn't matter?!" he said in disbelief as he turned around to look at her. "Are you even listening to what you're saying?! Everything matters. It matters to me!" He took a deep cleansing breath, held it and let it go. "The world does not revolve around you, Alannah. You cannot always be the one who controls what goes on in a relationship. You cannot always get your way." Alannah sashayed over to him. "What are you saying, Robert? That our relationship has no meaning because I didn't let you make any decisions? That the sex wasn't good enough for you?" Bobby blew out a breath. "The sex we had was great, awesome, fucking fantastic, but that's all our relationship really consisted of. I…I need more out of a relationship than just sex."

Alannah let out a laugh. "Oh my God! Robert, you honestly want to stay and settle down into a boring, mundane lifestyle when I can give you the world on a silver platter?! You're just as foolish and naïve as Angelica." She moved closer toward Bobby. "I know you, Robert," she said in a low, sultry tone. "You are not the kind of man to stay with one woman for too long. You are a dog like all the men I know." Bobby narrowed his eyes at her. He smirked as he looked down his nose at her and sniffed. "Hmmph. If I'm a dog, then so be it," he said in a low voice. "But listen to this dog tell you to get the hell out of my sight, get the hell out of my life and get the hell away from this house and this party before you and your little friend experience my bite."

Alannah picked up her shades, hooked them over the front of her t-shirt. She shrugged nonchalantly as she looked Bobby up and down. "Fine. You win. I'll let you have this break in our relationship. For now," she said. "Go ahead and let Angelica bear your child like she wants to. You'll get tired of her, your child and your boring life. You'll come crawling back to me, begging me to take you back." Bobby scoffed. "Alannah, you have a better chance of waiting for hell to freeze over than me crawling back to you!" Alannah huffed before turning on her heel and walking out the door. Bobby stood there, shaking his head. _"I am nothing like my father," _he thought. _"I don't want to be anything like him." _

**

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Sunday, August 20  
Backyard of the Eames' Residence, 6:08 p.m.

Jill walked up to Angel and Janelle, camera in hand. "Alright, you two," she said, "get together so I can take your picture." Angel and Janelle laughed as they put their arms around each other. "Wait a minute, Jill," Janelle said. She waved at Alex and said, "Come get in the picture, Alex."

Alex put down the piece of cake she was eating to go stand with Angel and Janelle. They separated to let her stand in between them. Jill chuckled as she held up the camera. "Alex looks like a midget standing next to you guys." Alex narrowed her eyes at her sister while Janelle and Angel laughed. "Just take the damn picture, will ya?" Alex said. Jill chuckled one more time before she took the picture. She stepped over to them and turned the camera around to let them see the picture. "That's a good picture," Janelle said. Angel and Alex nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to take some more pictures," Jill said before she walked off. Alex turned to look at Angel and smiled. "You okay? You happy?" she asked. Tears of joy began rolling down Angel's face as she covered her mouth with her right hand and smiled, nodding. "Oh, no. Don't cry," Alex said with a laugh, reaching up and wiping the tears from Angel's cheeks. Janelle reached over and did the same thing. She chuckled and said, "Alex, she cried like this off and on for about a week when Garvin proposed to her. Baby Girl is very happy." "Is that true?" Alex asked Angel. Angel reached for Alex's hand with her free hand and squeezed, nodding again. Alex smiled and patted her hand. "Just make sure you tell Bobby why you're crying like that. He'll think he did something wrong."

* * *

Angel looked at Alex for a few seconds before she took her hand away from her mouth. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she bit her lip and looked at the ground. A look of concern crossed Alex's face. "Angel, what's wrong?" Angel looked at Alex again, shaking her head. "Thank you for…accepting me," she said quietly. Alex squeezed her hand. "You're welcome." Angel covered her mouth again. She wasn't too sure if she could manage any more words without getting too choked up with emotion.

Drew walked up to the small group and smiled, standing next to Janelle. "You aight, Baby Girl?" he asked with a smile. Angel nodded. "You not gonna be all emotional for a week, are ya?" Alex and Angel laughed while Janelle smacked him on the arm. "She can be emotional if she wants to!" she said sharply. "Quit hitting me!" he said as he rubbed his arm. "It was a legitimate question." "That was a stupid question," Janelle countered. "If you keep hitting him, Janelle, I'm going to have to arrest you for spousal abuse," Alex said playfully. "Whatever," Janelle huffed while Drew stuck out his tongue at her. "Hold out your hand, Angel," he said as he raised his cell phone, "so I can take a picture of your ring."

Angel removed her hand from her mouth and held it out towards Drew. He took the picture, looked at it on the screen before pressing the 'save' button. "Cool," he said, showing the picture to Alex and Janelle. "Where's my phone?" Janelle asked. "Right where you left it," Drew said, pointing, "on the table where you were sitting." Janelle took Alex by the arm and said, "Come on, Alex, and look at the pictures I took." She pointed at the folding chair that Bobby had been sitting in. "Angel, go sit in that chair. I'll be back." Angel chuckled and shook her head. "Yes, ma'am," she said. As she headed towards the chair, she overheard Janelle ask Drew, "Did you send any pictures to Mama Laurel and Daddy Charles yet?" "Not yet," he replied.

"Oh, boy," Angel muttered under her breath as she sat down. She had been so caught up in the moment of getting a ring and telling Bobby that she loved him, she had forgotten about how her parents would react, especially her father. _"Papi__ is going to have a flipping fit," _she thought. She quickly got up and started gathering Bobby's gifts together. It gave her something to do while she waited anxiously for her cell phone to ring.

**

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Sunday, August 20  
Home of Charles and Laurel Pierson, 5:10 p.m. Central Time

Laurel Pierson was in her bedroom, folding clothes and humming along with the Billie Holiday CD that was playing on the stereo. "You better sing, Lady Day," she said softly with a chuckle. "Hey, Laurel," Charles said as he stood in the doorway. "Yeah, babe?" she said without looking at him. "Did Marcus bring those papers I told him and Anthony to sign over here before he left for vacation?" She shook her head. "He left them at your office with Jaime." "Hot damn!" Charles said, smacking the doorjamb in frustration and shaking his salt and pepper head. "I told that boy to bring them papers over here, not to my office. I swear, if his head wasn't screwed onto his neck, he'd forget it somewhere." Laurel laughed.

Charles sighed heavily. "Anyway. I'm going to the kitchen to get some ice cream. You want some?" "Yes, please," Laurel replied. "Chocolate with a slice of chocolate cake and some chocolate syrup poured over it." Charles made a face. "Ugh! You making my teeth hurt just mentioning all that chocolate." He made another face before he walked off. "You knew I was a chocoholic before you married me. Don't front, Charles!" she called out after him as she continued folding and hanging clothes.

* * *

Laurel had finished hanging the last of hers and Charles' shirts when the e-mail notification chimed on her computer. She closed the closet door, then went to sit down in front of the computer. She maximized her e-mail program and saw all of these messages from Janelle's and Drew's cell phones. Each message had a picture attached to it. "Ay Dios mió!" she exclaimed as she started clicking on each message. Tears started forming in Laurel's eyes as a big smile spread across her face as she looked at the pictures of Bobby giving Angel a ring. A loud gasp escaped her lips as she saw the close up picture of the ring. "Oh, Lord!" she quietly said. She let out a small scream as she watched the 15 second clip of Angel telling Bobby that she loved him.

Charles rushed back into the bedroom. "Laurel, what's wrong?!" he said. When he came into the room, he found Laurel sitting a couple of feet away from the computer, rocking back and forth with her mouth covered and tears on her face. She just shook her index finger at the computer and said, "Mira! Mira! Mira!" She got up and pushed the chair towards him. She sat down on the foot of the bed, both of her hands on her heart, rocking back and forth with a smile on her face. Charles had a puzzled look on his face as he took the chair from Laurel and sat down at the computer. He started clicking on the pictures one by one. He shook his head and muttered, "What the hell?" as he opened each item. He stared in disbelief as he watched the clip of Bobby putting the ring on Angel's finger. Laurel walked up behind him to watch that unseen clip.

* * *

Charles then watched the clip that made Laurel scream. He started shaking his head again. She stepped to the side as he pushed away from the computer. He looked up at his wife, pointed at the screen and said, "This motherfucker just gave Angel an engagement ring!" "It's not an engagement ring," Laurel said, "It's a commitment ring. And quit cussing." "I don't give a damn what it is! I'm not going to allow this." "Not going to allow it!?" Laurel put one hand on her hip, pointed at the computer screen with the other. "Charles, that's your child. Your baby girl. She's in love and happy!" Charles stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Angel met this fool 2 years and now she decides she's in love with him. It's too soon for her to say that!"

Laurel sighed heavily as she shook her head. She said, "Garvin departed this world 4 years, 4 months and 3 days ago. Angel did her grieving. It's time for her to find love again." Charles pointed his finger at her. "What makes you so sure he's good enough for her?" he asked. Laurel walked up to her 6 foot tall husband, shaking her finger at him. "Because I met him! I saw the good in him! If that's not enough, then the fact he saved tu hija from getting raped should be enough!" Charles grunted. Laurel took a deep breath, fighting back tears. She shook her finger at him again. "Don't you dare stand there and tell me that you don't want our baby girl to be happy. That you would interfere with her wanting to have a family someday. Angel was torn all to pieces, heartbroken that she and Garvin didn't have any children. Now, she has another chance, but you're going to interfere with that. That's not right, Charles. That's just not right."

* * *

Charles stared down at his wife and grunted, shaking his head. _"What the hell is it with these Jeffries women fighting for their daughters and their happiness?" _he thought to himself. His mind flashed back to May 1968, the year Laurel had graduated from high school. She was 17; he was 18 about to turn 19 in June. He had graduated last May. They had gotten married the previous year in August, the week after Laurel's 17th birthday. The wealthy family that Miss Anna, Laurel's mother, worked for as a housekeeper wanted to give Charles and Laurel a wedding/graduation gift: the opportunity to study and live overseas.

Miss Anna and Charles' parents were thrilled with the idea. However, James, Laurel's father, was not. James had already begrudgingly let that bastard (the name he loved to refer to Charles by) marry his only daughter, his baby girl. He would be damned if he'd let her go over to some foreign country with him. Charles and Laurel had sat in the living room of Anna and James' home, listening to them argue back and forth in the kitchen. _"Let her go, James!" Miss Anna said. "Let Laurel go to get a good education and be happy with her husband in their new life! You have no right to stop her from being happy! That's not right and you know it!"_ After a few minutes of silence, James agreed to let Laurel go and be happy.

* * *

Charles sighed heavily and shook his head. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" he asked. Laurel shook her head. She sniffed and wiped the tears off of her face as she folded her arms over her chest. "I used to worry that Baby Girl would not let herself love anyone else after Garvin died," she said quietly. "This man…Bobby loves her and makes her happy. I want her to have that." "What if this relationship doesn't work?" Laurel shrugged. "If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Angel is a grown woman and she'll do what she thinks is best, but I think it would put her mind at ease if she knew we BOTH made an effort to support her relationship with Bobby."

Laurel searched Charles' eyes, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He let out a dry chuckle as he shook his head. "You are just like your mama, ya know?" he said as he wrapped his arms around Laurel. She smiled up him and nodded. "Mama fought for me and you. I'm gonna fight for Angel and Bobby." Charles shook his head with another dry chuckle. He said, "Laurel Marie, I tell you what. You call your daughter and tell her that I want to meet this boy via webcam when she gets home tonight. He better be worth all this fuss you're making." She gave him a squeeze. "He is," she said with confidence. "You'll see."

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Sunday, August 20  
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 6:15 p.m.

By the time Bobby returned to the backyard, the kids had gone back to playing and the adults were either cleaning up or sitting around talking. "Where's Alannah?" Chazen asked as Bobby walked down the steps. "She's outside waiting for you by the car," he replied. "Oh, I see." Chazen shook Bobby's hand and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Robert." "Same here, Chazen." Chazen nodded and left. Bobby shook his head as he chuckled. _"He's about to get an earful," _he thought.

Bobby spotted Angel by herself, picking up torn wrapping paper and empty paper plates and cups, placing them into a garbage bag. "Hey," he said. She looked up and smiled. "Hey, Handsome." "Let me help you with that," he said as he tried to take the bag away from her. Angel held it away from him, shaking her head. "That's okay. I got it." He sighed heavily, shaking his head. Angel chuckled softly. "I know chivalry and manners aren't dead with you, Mr. Goren, but it's still your day. You can kick back and relax and let other people do something for you."

* * *

"Fine. Whatever," Bobby said with a smile. "So, um, what happened to your little friend?" Angel asked. Bobby laughed at the slight Scarface impression. "She's gone," he replied. "For good?" He looked at Angel and shrugged. "I hope so. Alannah's very…tenacious when she wants something. Maybe Chazen can fuck her hard enough to make her forget about me." Angel groaned. "Thanks a lot, Bobby, for the lovely visual!" she said sarcastically. Bobby laughed as he put his arms around her waist. Angel let the trash bag fall to the ground. "I do know one thing, though. I will NOT let her come between us. I'm not the type of person she thinks I am. At least I hope not."

Angel tilted her head to the side and smiled. "You are not the dog Alannah thinks you are," she said softly. Bobby raised an eyebrow. "But you think I'm a dog for having been in a strictly sexual relationship with her?" he asked. Angel shrugged, then shook her head. She said, "You and Alannah used each other for nothing more than mutual sexual satisfaction. Plain and simple. I can't judge you for being human and having needs that need to be fulfilled. To paraphrase Tupac Shakur, 'Only God can judge you.'"

* * *

Bobby looked at Angel in amazement. "Are you always this insightful?" he asked. She chuckled. "According to Papa Lenny, I've already been here before in a past life," she replied with a smile. He kissed her forehead and sighed. "I knew I loved you for a reason." Angel covered her mouth again with her right hand as she started to cry. Bobby looked puzzled. "Did I say something wrong?" She shook her head. "Are you happy?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. "Ah, I see. Are you going to be like this for a while?" Angel slowly nodded again. She uncovered her mouth and said, "Lo siento," before she covered her mouth again. Bobby wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You don't have to apologize for being happy," he said softly. "I'm just grateful that you are."

Just then Angel's cell phone beeped, alerting her that she had a text message. She reached into her pocket, pulling the phone out and flipping it open. She bit her bottom lip as she silently read the message. She looked up at Bobby and said, "Mami says congratulations and that Papi wants to meet you via webcam tonight." Bobby sighed heavily. He didn't think he would be meeting Angel's father so soon after giving her the ring. "What do you think he'll have to say?" he asked. She shrugged as she replied back to Laurel. She closed the phone, putting it back into her pocket. She caressed Bobby's cheek and said, "I have no idea what Papi will say. I just know that I love you and that he'll have to realize that fact someday." A wide smile covered Bobby's face as he hugged his earthbound and human Angel.

**

* * *

**

Sunday, August 20  
Angel's Home, 8:29 p.m.

Bobby's birthday party started winding down around 7:00. Everyone, including Bobby, helped Johnny and Janet clean up around the backyard and the house. Bobby had all of his birthday gifts except the bottle of Patron loaded into the back of Rob's Suburban. He decided to take it with him because he knew half of the bottle would be gone courtesy of Lewis and Rob before he made it back to his apartment. "Oh, come on, Bobby!" Lewis complained. "You can trust us with the Patron." "Sure, I can, Lewis," Bobby said with a smile as he playfully nudged him in the arm, putting the bottle underneath the driver's seat of Angel's car.

What took a long time was everyone saying goodbye to each other with kisses and hugs. Angel didn't think she'd ever finish hugging all of the Eames grandchildren and Courtney. Bobby laughed at her as she said, "I gained 12 new nieces and nephews today. 12! You just got 5. That does not seem fair." Rob said he would make DVD copies of the party for all of them; Alex said she would give him their addresses. As Angel was getting into the passenger side of her car, Courtney came up to her. "Aunt Angel," she said, "can I come and hang out with you and Uncle Bobby and Jayna and everybody sometime?" Angel smiled and nodded. "You sure can, Courtney." She leaned down and kissed her forehead before giving her a hug.

* * *

When Bobby and Angel reached her house, Angel filled up the Jacuzzi bathtub that was in the 2nd bedroom and told him to get in and soak for a little while. "Thank you," he said as he kissed her cheek before getting in the tub. She went into her own bedroom and took a quick warm relaxing shower. Angel dried off, put on some body lotion, panties and a t-shirt and shorts. She put her ring back on her finger and went into her TV/computer room. She turned on the computer and the webcam. When Angel pulled her chair up to the computer, she noticed that Laurel was already on, but not sitting at the computer. Instead, she was sitting on the side of the bed, talking on the phone.

"Hola, Mami," Angel said when Laurel hung up the phone. Laurel waved at the camera as she pulled her chair up to the computer. "Hola, mi hija," she replied. "Let me see the ring." Angel held her hand up to the camera. "It's very beautiful, Baby Girl. You like it? Are you happy?" Angel nodded as she covered her mouth and started to cry. "No llores, mi hija, no llores," Laurel said quietly. "You're gonna make me cry, too." She quietly sat there and watched her only daughter try to regain her composure. "I've lost count of how many times I've cried today," Angel finally said, as she reached for the box of tissues that were sitting next to her computer screen. "Bobby probably thinks I'm crazy or something." Laurel shook her head. "No, he doesn't," she said.

* * *

Laurel asked, "Where is Bobby anyway?" "He was soaking in the Jacuzzi a minute ago, but I think he just got out," Angel answered. "Oh, okay. Tell me about the party. How was it?" "It was a wonderful party, Mami. Alex's brothers and sister and their families were there. Mama LoLo, Daddy Eddie, Daddy Ben and Jayson and Tonya and the kids were there. Some people that Bobby worked with were there. Alex's nieces and nephews did a cute musical number for him. Mama LoLo made his cake. He got some really nice gifts, too. Like a laptop computer, a gray pinstriped suit and a bottle of Patron."

"Well, that does sound like a wonderful party indeed," Laurel said. "What did Loretta and them give him?" "A card with 500 in it," Angel said. "I was thinking about getting Bobby a book as a gift. Do you think he'd like that Tupac Shakur book of poetry?" Laurel asked. Angel laughed and nodded. "It's funny that you mention Tupac because I quoted him today," she said. "But I think Bobby would like that. He probably reads lots of different things." She typed his address in the IM screen, sending to her mother. "Thank you," Laurel said, "I was just about to ask for his address. I'll send it off in the mail in the morning."

* * *

"Where's Daddy?" Angel asked softly. Laurel answered, "In his office, finishing up some spreadsheets for your brothers." "How mad is he?" "Charles ain't mad. He's just being stubborn as usual when it comes to you and your boyfriends." Bobby appeared in the doorway, dressed in a t-shirt and lounging pants. Angel smiled at him and patted the chair next to her. "Hey, Handsome. Have a seat." He walked in and sat down. "Hola, Bobby. Feliz Cumpleaños," Laurel said with a smile. "Hola, Senora Pierson," he said sheepishly. "Muchas gracias." "Hablas español?" He shrugged. "Un poco," he replied.

Laurel laughed. "I bet you speak it fluently," she said. "You can call me Laurel." "Thank you, Laurel," Bobby said. He looked at her closely. He was still amazed at how much Angel looked like her. _"They could pass for twins or sisters," _he thought. Laurel looked back and forth between Bobby and Angel. She pressed her lips together as the tears started to fall. "It's okay, Mami. Please don't cry," Angel said. She leaned forward and touched the screen as if she could comfort her with a touch.

Laurel just shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts. She placed both of her hands on her heart as she rocked slightly back and forth. "That's…that's my baby," she said softly to Bobby. "She's a very good woman. She's not as fragile as you think she is. She's very strong." Bobby nodded, smiling. "Yes, ma'am. I know," he said. "My heart is happy because my baby is happy," Laurel continued. "That's all I ever want for all of my babies. For them to be happy in whatever they do or whoever they're with." "Senora Pierson…Laurel, I…I will do my best to make sure Angel is happy," Bobby said quietly. Laurel just nodded and smiled.

* * *

Angel sat back with a smile on her face as she watched Laurel and Bobby connect. _"Lord, why can't Daddy be this accepting?" _she thought. "Hablando por El Diablo," she muttered under her breath as Charles walked into the room. Bobby lightly chuckled at her choice of words. "Charles, Angel and Bobby are on the webcam," Laurel said. He tossed the book he was holding onto the bed and pulled up chair next to Laurel. "Hey, Baby Girl," he said with a smile. "Hey, Papi," Angel replied. Charles saw Bobby and grunted, rolling his eyes. He sat back in his chair, with his lips pursed, looking Bobby up and down. "Daddy, this is Robert Goren," Angel said. "Bobby, this is my dad, Charles Pierson."

"Pl…Pleased to meet you, Senor Pierson," Bobby said. Charles grunted. Laurel thumped him on the wrist and said sharply, "Charles, be nice!" Angel bit her bottom lip, shaking her head as she looked at the ground. A teardrop hit the back of her hand. _"Papi__ keeps grunting. This is not good."_ Charles rubbed the spot where Laurel had hit him as he continued staring at Bobby. "Good to meet you," he finally said. Angel looked up. _"There's hope yet." _She smoothed back Bobby's hair. "Isn't he handsome, Daddy?" she said. Charles grunted. Bobby looked at Angel, a small smile on his face. He pointed at her, then did the letters 'O' and 'K' in sign language. She nodded.

"Do you prefer to be called Robert or Bobby?" Charles asked. Bobby turned his attention back to the screen. "Either one is fine by me. Most folks prefer to call me Bobby." Charles nodded. "Tell me about your family." Bobby cleared his throat as he ran his fingers through his hair and massaged his neck. "My…my father has been dead for a while now," he replied. "I have a brother. His name is Frank and he's 3 years older than me. He's a drug addict. Probably living on the streets somewhere here in New York. I haven't seen him in a few years. My mother's name is Frances. She's living in Carmel Ridge. It's a mental institution."

* * *

Charles narrowed his eyes. "Why did you put her in an institution?" he asked. Bobby sighed heavily as he looked at the ground. He realized he had revealed more of himself to this man in a few minutes than he had to anyone over a course of months. He looked at Charles and said, "My mother's a schizophrenic. She requires more care than I am able to give her by myself. I make sure they treat her well there. I visit her every Sunday and call her every day. Sometimes twice a day." "I see," Charles said. He sat back in his chair again, arms folded across his chest. He looked at Angel, then at Bobby.

Charles looked at Laurel, who had a slight smirk on her face. "Quit smirking, Laurel," he said. She smiled. He looked at Bobby again, his head tilted to the side. He pointed his finger at Angel and said, "Bobby, that's my baby. My only daughter. My hope, my wishes for her and her brothers are for them to be happy in life and in love." Bobby nodded. "Yes, sir." "Laurel and I make a point of not meddling in our children's lives. Whatever problems or drama you and Angel may run into will remain between the two of you."

Charles leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "However," he said, "I want you to know something now. If you ever, and I mean EVER, put your hands on Angel, physically hurt her, I will break my size 11s off in your ass. Don't let this salt and pepper hair fool you, boy." "Daddy!" "Charles!" He leaned back with both of his hands in the air. "I'm just letting him know." Bobby suppressed the smile that was forming on his lips. "I understand, Mr. Pierson," he said, "I'd never do anything like that." Charles looked at Laurel. "See?" he said. "He understands perfectly."

* * *

Charles and Angel looked at each other, smiling. He turned his attention to Bobby, pointing with his head at Angel. "Angel's very much like her mama," he said. "Strong, smart, funny, independent. Love you despite all of your faults or whatever boneheaded thing you may do. She'll fight with you and fight for you. And when Angel's mad at you, watch out!" Bobby looked at Angel with a raised eyebrow. "Really? How so?" Charles chuckled. "You can look in those gray eyes and tell," he answered. "They'll cloud over real quick. You can practically see it. She'll look you up and down, cuss you out under her breath in Spanish and walk off."

Angel looked at her dad in surprise. He and Laurel both laughed. Charles said, "What? You thought I didn't know, Baby Girl? Pfft. You are definitely your mother's child." "Papi, you didn't have tell Bobby that," Angel said. A reflective look covered Charles' face. "Angel and Laurel are just alike. Won't tell you right away if something's bothering them. They'll hold onto it and try to take care of it themselves, instead of letting you in on. They don't want you to worry about them. If their feelings get hurt, they'll get real quiet or go off somewhere, like a park or something, and cry for a while."

* * *

"They're both hard headed and stubborn," Charles said. Angel and Laurel both protested. "Charles, that's not a nice thing to say." "Daddy, that's not right." He shook his head and sniffed. "Oh, no. That's true and you both know it. Bobby needs to know these things." He looked at Bobby, a little tear in his eye and said, "They'll be in pain, physical pain, and won't tell anybody. Just sneak off to the doctor's office without saying a word. You won't find out about it until they come back or get a call at 5 a.m. from some emergency room nurse telling you that one of them is getting ready to have emergency surgery right that second."

Bobby looked at Angel. She looked down at her hands and bit her lip. He looked at Laurel. She was doing the same thing. "You talk too much, Charles," Laurel said quietly. He chuckled as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Yeah, I know, but I still love you anyway despite that flaw." She rolled her eyes, a small smile creeping on her face. Bobby smiled as he watched Charles and Laurel. He wondered if he and Angel would ever reach their level of love and commitment. He reached over and squeezed her leg to make her look at him. "You okay?" he asked. Angel sighed heavily. "Yes, despite the fact my father has a big mouth," she said wryly.

* * *

"Angel, I just told Bobby some things he needed to know. That's all," Charles said. "I know, Papi. I know." Laurel glanced at the time on the computer screen. It read 9:15 p.m. "I hate to break up this lovely party, but I need to get some research done before I go to bed," she said. Charles, Angel and Bobby all nodded in agreement. Laurel looked at Bobby and Angel and smiled. She patted her heart and said, "Mi corazón es muy feliz. For both of you." Angel leaned over and put her head on Bobby's shoulder as she wrapped both of her arms around his arm. "Thanks, Mami," she said quietly. "Thank you, Laurel," Bobby said.

Charles looked at the couple that was before him on the screen and sighed, shaking his head. _"Lord, let them make it," _he thought to himself. "I expect to see you here in Nashville when Angel comes home for a visit," he said. "Yes, sir," Bobby said. "I will." "Quit calling me sir. You can call me Charles." "Thank you, Charles. I look forward to meeting you all soon." Charles snorted. "You'll probably regret saying that after meeting Angel's brothers." Laurel thumped him in the wrist again. "Be nice, Charles!" He rubbed his wrist, saying through clinched teeth, "Dammit, Laurel! That shit hurts!" She pointed a finger at him. "Behave!" Angel pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. She looked up at Bobby. "Those are my parents, George Burns and Gracie Allen. You gotta love them," she said.

"All right, Miss Smart Ass," Charles said sarcastically. "Good night, you two," Laurel said. "Good night," Angel and Bobby said in unison. Charles regarded Bobby one more time. "In case her mama and I haven't said it yet, thank you for saving Angel from that crazy man." Bobby smiled. "You're welcome." Charles and Laurel said good night one more time before logging out and switching their webcam off. Angel got up and did the same thing, powering her computer totally off. She sat down in her chair, one leg tucked underneath her. Bobby leaned back, his hands folded on his belly.

* * *

"Well?" Angel asked. Bobby shrugged. "It went better than I expected it to," he said. "Daddy actually called you by your name and only threatened you once. That's very good." "But you think he still has doubts about us? Or just about me?" She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a little bit of both. Whatever doubts Papi may have, I hope they go away as he gets to know you better." Bobby reached over and stroked her cheek. "You ready for bed?" he asked. Angel nodded. He stood up and held out his hand to her. She grasped his hand and stood up. Bobby put his arm around Angel's shoulders and squeezed as they walked out of the room towards the bedroom.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: This chapter is rated M for language and smut. If you blink, you'll miss the smut. LOL LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**6/12/08: Re-post to correct a minor error.**

**

* * *

**

Sunday, August 20  
Angel's Home, 10:15 p.m.

Angel reached into the top drawer of her nightstand table and pulled out a folded piece of paper and a key chain with a blue letter 'B' and a single key on it. She held the items out to Bobby and said, "This is for you." He took the proffered items and sat down on the foot of the bed. "What's this?" he asked as he unfolded the paper. She sat down next to him Indian style. "That's a key to the house and instructions on how to arm/disarm the security alarm," she answered. Bobby looked at Angel and smiled. He said, "Thank you." She just nodded and smiled.

Bobby continued looking at Angel without saying a word. "What's wrong?" she asked. He opened his mouth, then closed it because he wasn't too sure of what he wanted to say. Finally he asked, "If I had asked you 2 years ago to stay here with me, would you have stayed?" She looked down at her hands as she started to pick at the bedspread. A faint nod was her answer. Bobby sighed heavily. "Why didn't you say anything to me?" he asked. Angel shook her head. "I didn't want to scare you with my feelings," she quietly said. "I thought you wouldn't have been ready to give up Alannah just yet."

* * *

Angel unfolded her legs as Bobby put his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to him. "My …my gut told me back then that I should asked you to stay. I wish I had." She pulled away from him and smiled. "Eh, you're entitled to make a mistake every once in a while," she said playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "Ha, ha," he said dryly. She laughed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to brush my teeth," Angel said, getting up and heading towards the bathroom. Bobby got up and placed the keychain and piece of paper in the pocket of the suit he was going to wear to work the next day. He made a mental note to himself to get a copy of his apartment key made for her. _"I'll do that at lunch tomorrow," _he thought. He walked out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen to get some water.

Angel turned off the bathroom light, leaving the small night light on, when she finished brushing her teeth. She stopped at the tall dresser and pulled of her ring, placing it next to her necklace. Bobby came back in the room, both of his hands behind his back. He stepped up to her, invading her personal space with his presence, a smirk on his face. "What?" she asked. He leaned down and placed his lips against her ear. "I…just realized something," he said in his most seductive voice. Angel grabbed Bobby's t-shirt and quietly gasped as his warm breath and voice sent an exciting tingle throughout her whole body.

* * *

"What did you realize?" Angel asked breathlessly. Bobby slid one of his hands under her t-shirt and began making circles with his thumb on one of her nipples. She gasped again as he kissed the side of her neck. He nipped gently at her neck before his lips made their way back up to her ear. "I realized that I've had you only once this weekend, Ms. Pierson-St. John," he said huskily. He straightened up to look into her eyes. "I plan on correcting that situation."

Bobby held up a box of condoms. "Are these for me?" he asked. Angel glanced at the box before looking back at him. She nodded. "Yes." He smiled as he moved the hand that was on her breast to the middle of her back, pulling her closer to him. He leaned down to kiss her deeply. Bobby laid his forehead against hers. "So, how many times can I have you tonight, Angel?" he asked. Without missing a beat, Angel replied, "How many condoms are in that box?"

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Angel's Home, 5:45 a.m.

Bobby and Angel both groaned as the alarm clock started blaring. Angel pushed the quilt aside a little bit, reached over and turned it off before snuggling back into Bobby's arms. "Are you always up this early?" he asked. "Sometimes," she replied. "When I decide to get up and go walking around the neighborhood before going to work." He raised his head slightly and looked at the open box of condoms that were laying on the nightstand table and groaned. "God, I am getting old," Bobby lamented. Angel chuckled. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "Because there are still condoms left in this box."

Angel laughed. She moved Bobby's arm so that she could scoot up and look at him face to face, laying on her side. "Dude, if we had gone through that whole box, there's NO WAY either one of us would have been able to make it to work today," she said. Bobby laughed and said, "You sound like Lewis." She smiled. "I have hung around my brothers too long." They just laid there, looking at each other in comfortable silence. "It's…it's…it won't be easy to be with me, Angel," Bobby said softly. Angel sighed and nodded her head. "I know that, Bobby," she said. "I understand. I don't expect our life to be like 'Leave It To Beaver' or 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.'"

* * *

Bobby turned to lay on his side, propping himself up on one arm. "Alannah told me yesterday about you wanting to have a child…with me. Is that true?" he asked. Angel bit nervously at her bottom lip. _"He asked,"_ she thought to herself. _"Answer him, you idiot." _"I would like to have a baby someday," she answered quietly. "Having one with you would be nice." He scoffed. "Why?" She frowned slightly. "Why not?" she asked. "Because I'm fucked up. That's why," Bobby answered. "Any child of mine runs the risk of being a full blown basket case. Some kind of whack job."

Angel propped herself up on one arm. She reached over and stroked his cheek. "There is nothing wrong with you," she said. "You can't say for certain how a child will turn out unless you raise him or her. I see a wonderful and kind man who I think would make a very good daddy someday. So, you think you're flawed. Big deal. So am I. Everyone has flaws that they probably wish they could fix or make go away. I love you and your flaws. I can't change them. I'm not even going to try. All I can do is learn how to deal with them."

Bobby slid a little closer to Angel. He sighed and kissed her forehead. "Your parents were right. You are strong," he said. She smiled and said, "Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him, eventually pulling him on top of her. Angel gasped as Bobby slid his rock hard dick inside of her. She moaned and panted as she moved her hips in time with his thrusting. He licked and kissed her neck before moving to kiss her mouth. Angel broke the kiss to look at him. "I…I haven't taken my pill yet," she said breathlessly. Bobby looked deep into her eyes and nodded. "I know," he replied.

Angel and Bobby looked at each and smiled. "Te amo, Bobby," she said, thrusting her hips against him. He smiled and said, "Te amo, Angel," as he kissed her and continued making love to her.

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
1PP Parking Garage, 7:45 a.m.

"You have everything?" Angel asked Bobby. After having breakfast at her house, Angel had taken him by his apartment so that he could drop off his things and switch out his old binder for his new binder before bringing him to work. He nodded. "Yeah, I think so," he said. She got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side as Bobby got out, binder and 2 cups of coffee in hand. "You sure don't need any help?" Angel asked with a laugh. Bobby said, "I've got it," pushing the door closed with his hip.

Angel put her arms around Bobby's waist to give him a sideways hug. He balanced the cups of coffee on his binder as he put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a small squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled. "Make sure you tell Alex, Mike and Megan that they're invited to have dinner at my place anytime this week," she said. "I will," he said. He chuckled. "I can't believe you bet on Alannah and LOST." She rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever, dude." Bobby laughed as he leaned down and kissed Angel's lips. "I'll talk to you later," he said. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Angel said with a smile. She and Bobby quickly kissed each other one more time before he headed towards the elevator; she towards the driver's side of her car. She opened the door and paused. "Hey, Bobby," she called out to him. He turned around, seeing her nervously biting her bottom lip and playing with her necklace. _"She's worried," _he thought to himself. "Be careful and be safe today," Angel said quietly. He smiled. "No se preocupe, querida," he said in his most reassuring voice. She nodded and smiled as she got into the car. Bobby waited and watched as Angel drove away before turning back around to head towards the elevator.

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Angel's car, 7:48 a.m.

Angel placed her Bluetooth headset in her ear before dialing Janelle's number.

"Hello," Janelle said.

"Hey, sweetie," Angel said. "It's me."

"Hey, hey, Baby Girl. What's going on?"

"Not much. You and Drew in New Jersey already?"

"Naw. We're not too far out of the city. We just stopped to get some gas."

"Oh, okay," Angel said. "Do you go by the shop and pick up those parts for Mrs. St. John's computer?"

Janelle answered, "Yeah, I did. We went by there last night. You on your way to the shop?"

"Yep. I'm going to help Chad open up the store before I head over to the church to help Pastor set up for the computer classes and do those 2 service calls for the Gregorys and the Abbotts."

* * *

"So," Janelle said, "How did "Meet the Parents" go?"

"It went better than I expected," Angel replied with a chuckle. "Daddy only threatened Bobby once."

Janelle laughed. "Daddy Charles threatened him one time? Shit, he must be getting soft in his old age."

"You're so silly, Janelle."

"What are you making me and Drew for dinner tonight?"

Angel thought for a minute. "How about steak and shrimp with a baked potato?" she asked.

"Hell, yeah!" Janelle replied. "I need to make bets with you more often if you're going to be such a good loser."

"I told Bobby about the bet. He laughed at me. Anyway, I told him to invite Alex, Mike, Meagan and the rest of his friends." "Cool. That's a good idea."

* * *

A few seconds of silence passed. "What's wrong, Angel?" Janelle asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Angel sighed. "Bobby and I…had sex this morning…without any protection," she said softly. "Before I had a chance to take my pill."

Janelle was stunned. "Oh, my," she said. "Sooo, are you okay or what?"

"I'm okay, I guess. I'm kinda scared and happy at the same time," Angel replied. "Mama says the Jeffries women are really fertile."

"Well," Janelle said, "if you have a girl, you should name her after me."

"Alexandra Janelle."

"Excuse me?"

"Alexandra Janelle," Angel repeated. "For a girl. Andrew Robert for a boy."

Janelle stammered. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a flipping minute. You've already picked out baby names?! When the hell did that happen?!"

"I don't know! They just popped into my head while I was taking a shower," Angel said. "And quit being so melodramatic. Besides, I don't think we're ready for kids just yet. Nothing's been fertilized."

Janelle scoffed. "Yeah, right. Tell me that shit again when we're sitting in your bathroom 2 months from now staring at pregnancy tests."

"Why do I bother to tell you anything?" Angel asked.

"Because," Janelle answered, "I'm your sister and best friend. I need to know EVERYTHING."

Angel laughed at her. "Well, I think I've done enough sharing for the day. I'll talk to you when y'all get back. Have a safe trip and be careful."

"Aight. You, too. See you at the house. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

When Drew came out of the convenience store with drinks and a bag full of snacks, he stopped in his tracks and shook his head. Janelle was next to the company van, pumping gas and doing what he dubbed her "happy, hip-hop, Holy Ghost, shake a tail feather" dance. He chuckled as he continued towards her. "Uh, baby?" he asked. "Um, you wanna tell me what happened for you to break out your dance?" Janelle shook her tail feathers one more time before wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked up at her husband and smiled. "We're going to be godparents someday," she replied.

Drew blinked a few times, frowning slightly. He tilted his head to the side and asked, "They trying to make a baby already?" Janelle said, "Maybe. I don't know. I just know we're going to be godparents someday." He chuckled and kissed her forehead. She stepped away from him and started doing her dance again. "Come on and dance my dance with me, Drew," Janelle said as he headed towards the driver's side. He turned around, looked at her and said, "Uh, I don't think so." He started heading toward his original destination. She shrugged and continued dancing. "I'm happy, dammit!" she said to herself. "And I don't care who sees."

**

* * *

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Monday, August 21  
Major Case Squad Room, 7:50 a.m.

Bobby entered the squad room just as Alex had sat down at her desk. "Good morning, Alex," he said, placing one of the cups of coffee on her desk before sitting down. "Good morning," she replied. She picked up the cup, taking the lid off to inhale the rich aroma of the freshly brewed beverage. She sighed contently. "You are a life saver," she said as she placed the lid back on, taking a sip. "Are you talking to me or the coffee?" Bobby asked playfully. "You ask another silly question like that and I will talk to the coffee," Alex replied sarcastically.

Bobby laughed. He pointed with his head at the watch Alex was wearing. "That's a very nice watch you're wearing," he said. Alex smiled as she touched the watch. "Thank you very much," she said. "A very good friend of mine gave it to me." She pointed at his new binder. "That's a very nice binder." Bobby ducked his head and smiled. He said, "Some very good friends of mine gave it to me." She noticed he was wearing his new watch. "Angel have her ring on today?" Alex asked. Bobby nodded. "Yes, she does. She only cried once this morning," he replied with a smile.

* * *

Captain Ross came out of his office, heading to Bobby and Alex's desks. "Morning, detectives," he said. "Good morning, sir," Alex said. "Morning, Captain," Bobby said. "I'm on way to a departmental head meeting to brief the higher ups on our current caseload," Ross said. "Any more progress on the Anderson case?" Alex shook her head. "Nothing else so far, Captain," she said. "The bulletins we have out for the victim's brother and sister, Eric and Eden Anderson, haven't yielded anything either." Ross sighed and nodded. "Okay," he said.

Ross noticed Bobby's new watch and leather binder. "Glad to see you had a nice birthday weekend, Detective," he said to Bobby. He nodded his head at both of them and said, "Carry on," walking away to get on the elevator. "Uh, thank…thank you, sir," Bobby said to Ross' retreating back. When Ross was out of earshot, Bobby said, "Dammit! Do I have to be nice to him?" "Pretty much," Alex said. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

* * *

"Check it out, Liv," Detective Elliott Stabler said as he and his partner Olivia Benson walked into the squad room. "It's Alex Eames and Bobby Goren. The 2 greatest detectives in the Major Case Squad." Alex and Bobby both turned around at the sound of Elliott's voice. "Yeah, it figures they would be sitting down on their fannies while the rest of us working stiffs have to be in court," Olivia said when they reached them. Alex and Bobby laughed as they got up to greet their fellow detectives. "Oh yeah? Well, my partner can beat up your partner any day," Alex said as she hugged Olivia first, then Elliott. The 2 SVU detectives laughed. Bobby did exactly as Alex had done.

"What brings you guys over here?" Bobby asked. Elliott reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a envelope. "We stopped by to give you your birthday card," he said, handing the envelope to Bobby. He opened it and pulled out the card to read it. Inside of the birthday card was 2 gift cards. One was for TGI Friday's; the other was for Barnes and Noble. Both cards were for 100 each. Bobby was stunned. "This…this is too much, you guys," he said. Olivia scoffed. "Look at it this way. You're buying a round when we go out for drinks next time," she said. Bobby laughed at Olivia's logic. "Well, since you put it that way. Thank you all very much."

"You're welcome," Elliott said. "You guys missed a great party yesterday," Alex said. "Yeah, I could tell by the pictures you sent us," Olivia said. "So, Bobby, when do we get to meet Angel?" Bobby narrowed his eyes at Alex; she shrugged nonchalantly. "I got a big mouth. Sue me," she said. Bobby shook his head and chuckled. "Soon," he said. "Maybe I'll bring her along when we go out for drinks." "That'll be good," Elliott said. He quickly glanced at his watch. "Come on, Liv. We better get going or we'll be late for court." "It was good to see you two," Alex said. "Same here, Alex," Olivia said.

The 4 detectives exchanged good-byes with each other one more time before Elliott and Olivia headed towards the elevators to leave. Alex and Bobby sat back down to start their work for the day, going through the papers and folders to sort what was on the agenda.

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Across the street from Computer City, 8:01 a.m.

Eden Anderson sat in the back seat of the stolen black Hummer, next to her brother Eric, scowling as she looked out the window. _"Watch your back for The Devil"_ was the last text message she had been able to send to David Brewster before Frank Devlin took her cell phone from her and threw it against the wall, destroying it into a million pieces. "Bastard," she said under breath as she relived that memory in her head. She looked over at her twin and rolled her eyes in disgust. _"This motherfucker here," _she thought to herself. _"I oughta whip his fucking ass for stealing that jump drive from Davey in the first place." _

Eden sighed heavily as she dismissed the thought. She knew Eric was just trying to look out for the both of them. She couldn't blame him for that. She smiled slightly as she thought about what laid in store for Angel. _"That bitch will learn not to mess with the Queen Bitch." _"What the hell are you smiling about?" Francisco asked. He was sitting in the passenger seat with the sunshade pulled down. He had flipped open the mirror to look at Eden. She looked at him with disdain before turning her attention back to the scenery outside. "None of your fucking business, you shorter than Tattoo from "Fantasy Island" motherfucker," she hissed.

* * *

Eric and Franco both snickered. Francisco growled. He picked up the .45 that was laying in his lap, reached over the seat and placed it against Eden's temple. "You make one more fucking crack about my height and I will bust a cap in your fucking head," he said. Eden shook with fear on the inside, but she put up a hardened façade as she turned to look at the gun that was pointed at her. "Well, if you do that, dumb ass, Frankie Devil will have your balls twisted off and fed them to his pit bull before you have a chance to scream like a little bitch," she calmly said.

"Leave that crazy heffa alone, Frankie," Franco said. Francisco grunted, still pointing the gun at Eden's head. They just stared at each other, trying to see who would blink first. Franco straightened up behind the wheel. He was looking across the street at the black car that had parked in front of Computer City. "Who the fuck is that?" he asked. Eden looked away from Frankie 1 to see what Frankie 2 was talking about. "That's the bitch I was talking about," she said as Angel got out of the car to enter the story. Francisco looked out the window. "Damn shame," he said, placing the gun back in his lap. "I could tap that ass a few times." "Sure you could," Franco said. "If your dick could reach up that far."

Francisco smacked Franco upside the head with an open palm. "Don't you start, motherfucker," he said. Franco just rubbed at his head. "We going in or what?" Eric asked. The Frankies both shook their heads. "Nah, fool," Franco said. "It looks like she's not gonna be in there too long. We wait for her to come back out. We'll attack her while she's driving in the car. Hand them those guns, Frankie." Francisco reached under his seat for the brown paper bag that was there. He opened the bag and pulled out 2 .45s, handing one to each of the twins. "You know how to use those?" he asked. Eden and Eric looked at each other and smiled before looking at Francisco. "Does a bear take a shit in the woods?" they asked in unison.

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Major Case Squad Room, 11:25 a.m.

Bobby had just gotten up from his desk to take some files over to Marla, Major Case's new secretary, when his phone rang. He sighed and sat back down, picking up the phone on the 3rd ring. "Major Case. Detective Goren speaking." Alex looked away from her computer screen to look at Bobby. She was shocked to see all the color had drained from his face as he listened to the person on the other end. "You…you…you did the right thing, Officer Gibson. My partner and I will be right there. Thank you," he said quietly.

After he hung up the phone, Bobby held his head down as he gripped the edges of his desk so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Bobby, what's wrong?" Alex asked. He just shook his head, not looking up at his partner. "Dammit, Goren! You're scaring me. What's wrong?!" He finally looked up, visibly shaken. "A…Angel…has been in an…an accident," he finally said. Bobby took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, to help him focus. He quickly jumped up and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and sprinted towards the elevators with Alex following right behind him.

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Scene of the accident, 11:59 a.m.

"What's the story behind the accident?" Alex asked as she and Bobby ducked under the crime scene tape. "According the witnesses we talked to, a black Hummer was ramming into the Saturn Vue that the victim was driving," Officer Gibson replied. "They say it was trying to run the other car off the road. Also, there were gunshots fired as well." Bobby walked over and examined the tangled mess that use to be Angel's car. He could see the bullet holes were and noticed that some were very close to where Angel's head would have been. He mentally shuddered at the thought of her laying on a stretcher with a bullet in her head.

"Did the witnesses say how many people were in the Hummer?" Bobby asked. "Some say there were 3 people. Some are saying 4," Gibson answered. "Witnesses are saying that the perps were male, possibly black and/or Hispanic. 2 of them definitely pulled the trigger." "Where's the driver of this car?" Alex asked. Gibson pointed towards the ambulance. "She's shaken up for sure with minor cuts and bruises. She was very lucky to walk away from this accident." "Very lucky indeed," Bobby said absently as he looked and saw a glimpse of Angel sitting down in the back of the ambulance. "Has she said anything?" he asked. Gibson shook his head.

* * *

Officer Gibson said, "All she's done so far is give me your card and ask me to call you. Other than that, she's just stared at the ground or off into the distance." Alex and Gibson followed Bobby as he headed towards Angel. "Have you issued a bulletin yet for the Hummer?" Alex asked. Gibson nodded. "Yeah, we have. There was a report made earlier today that a Hummer was stolen from Hall's Hummers and SUVs. We're looking to see if this hit-and-run Hummer is the same as the stolen one."

Bobby stopped in his tracks to look at Alex. She looked up at him. "Did I say something wrong?" Gibson asked, noticing the look the partners were exchanging. "In…in Franco Holland's file, there was an associate of his listed named Richard Hall," Bobby said. Alex nodded. "He and a brother own a dealership with the exact name as the dealership where the Hummer was stolen." "If…if Frick and Frack were in that Hummer that tried to run Angel off the road, her life is…is in danger." Alex turned to Gibson and said, "You need to put out a bulletin for a Richard Hall a.k.a. Richie Rich. NOW. He's a known associate of Franco Holland, who's wanted in connection to the murder of DeMarco Anderson."

* * *

Gibson nodded his head. "Okay. What are you 2 going to do?" "We're taking your accident victim down to our precinct," Bobby said as he walked away. "You can't do that!" Gibson protested. "We haven't taken her statement yet." "Take it up with our captain, Danny Ross," Alex said. "Right now we're taking her someplace safe." She caught up with Bobby in 3 steps. "You see all these reporters and cameras around here?" she asked. He nodded. "If Devlin finds out Angel's not dead, he will send somebody to kill her," he said tightly. Alex briefly squeezed Bobby's arm to reassure him that nothing would happen to Angel.

Angel looked up to see Alex and Bobby coming towards her. The determined look on their faces caused her to be a little bit concerned. When they reached her, Bobby took off his jacket and held it up in front of her. "We need to leave. RIGHT NOW," he said. Angel's eyes widen with fear at the tone of Bobby's voice. "What's wrong?" she asked. He shook his head. "We'll tell you later." Angel looked at Bobby, then at Alex with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked again. Alex walked over to her and squeezed her hand. "We'll tell you later. I promise," she said. "But now you have to come with us. You have to trust us with your life."

Alex stepped back as Angel grabbed her backpack purse and stood up. Bobby put his jacket around Angel, covering her head with it. He put his arm around her shoulders and followed Alex to their SUV, scanning the crowd for any potential danger. He opened the back passenger door and helped her inside, sliding in next to her. Alex pulled off as quickly as she could. Angel peeked out from under Bobby's jacket, looking at him with fear and tears in her eyes. He wiped a tear off of her cheek. "Everything will be alright," he said softly. "I promise."

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Major Case Squad Room, 1:36 p.m.

Angel was sitting in one of the MCS's conference rooms, trying to keep herself from falling apart at the news that Bobby and Alex had just told her: that the men who had killed DeMarco were probably in the Hummer that ran her off of the road. Alex placed a cup of hot tea in front of her before sitting down across from her. Bobby leaned against the wall, looking at 2 of the most important women in his life. "What happened when you headed to work, Angel?" he asked. "Not much really," she said softly. "I talked to Janelle as I headed to Computer City. I got there and helped our manager Chad Riggs to open up shop. I was suppose to go on 2 service calls, but both of the customers came to us. I was heading to church to help Pastor Overton get the classrooms ready for the fall computer classes when I was attacked."

"Had you noticed the Hummer before it attacked you?" Alex asked. Angel thought for a second. She said, "I think I caught a glimpse of it when I parked my car at Computer City this morning. I'm not really sure." "Did you get a good look at the people inside of it?" Angel pressed her lips together. She looked at her untouched cup of tea as tears rolled down her face. "I…I…I think saw Eden, DeMarco's sister, pointing a gun at me and shooting," she said. Alex looked at Bobby. His face had hardened to stone as he took a deep breath. Their theory of Eden stealing from Frank Devlin just became a bit more concrete with Angel's statement.

* * *

"Who has access to your home besides you?" Bobby asked. Angel looked at him. "Just Janelle, Drew and my mom have keys and know the security alarm code," she said. She thought it would be a good idea not to let Alex know that Bobby had access to her house just yet. "Did DeMarco install your security system or know the security code?" Angel shook her head. "Jayson did the installation and knows the code. He keeps a master list of all of his clients' codes in case they change them or forget them." Alex and Bobby exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing: DeMarco had hidden the stolen jump drive at Angel's house.

The door to the conference room opened and in walked Captain Ross. He gave both of his detectives a look of disapproval before focusing his attention on Angel. "I'm Captain Danny Ross," he said as he extended his hand to her. "Angelica Pierson-St. John," she said, shaking his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Pierson-St. John." He looked at Bobby, then at Alex and said, "Detectives, I want to have a word with you in my office." He walked out of the room, not bothering to wait for their response. "We'll be back," Alex said, squeezing Angel's arm to comfort her as she rose and walked out. Bobby gave her a small smile as he started to walk out. "Are y'all in trouble?" Angel asked. He turned around to look at her. "No," he lied. "Everything's okay."

* * *

Bobby closed the door to the captain's office behind him when he and Alex walked in. Captain Ross sat on the edge of his desk and looked back and forth between Alex and Bobby. His gaze finally settled on Bobby. "Would one of you care to explain why in the hell you whisked the victim of a hit-and-run accident away from the accident scene without following proper procedure?" "Captain," Alex said, "we believe that Ms. Pierson-St. John's life is in danger. That the men who killed DeMarco Anderson are trying to kill her as well." Ross turned to look at Alex. "Oh, really?" he said. "What kind of proof do you have?" Alex told him about the stolen Hummer and Franco Holland's associate.

Ross shook his head. "Even if this Hummer ties in with everything, you still should have followed procedure," he said. "So, you'd rather have her dead and laying in the morgue instead of here in our squad room, alive and safe," Bobby said harshly. "I do not appreciate the tone of your voice, Detective," Ross said. "Oh, I get it. You want us to let her go back out on the street to get killed so that we can solve her murder, too!" "Detective! One more outburst like that and I'll.." "You'll what?!" Bobby said in a raised voice. "Do the higher ups dirty work and get rid of me? For once, I wish you'd stop thinking that I'm some kind of incompetent freak and let me do my fucking job!"

Ross stood up and pointed towards the door. "Detective Goren, I highly suggest you get out of here and take a moment to cool down before I call someone to escort you out of here!" Bobby glared at Captain Ross. "Go to hell," he mumbled under his breath as he threw open the door, slamming it shut as he walked out. Ross looked at Alex. "You have anything to say, Detective?" he asked her. "No, sir. I don't." Alex didn't have to. Her silence spoke volumes. She turned on her heel and walked out.

* * *

Bobby was coming from the men's room when Alex walked out of Captain Ross' office. She just looked up at him and shook her head. _"The things you'll go through with your partner," _she thought to herself. Bobby didn't say anything. He just shrugged his shoulders. "I meant everything I said," he said quietly. Alex sighed and said, "Yeah, I know." A tall, dark skinned young man with looks like Denzel Washington, wearing a Brooks Brothers suit, walked up to them. "Detectives Goren and Eames?" he asked. "I'm Detective Eames," Alex said. "This is my partner, Detective Goren." "I'm Mack Lowell," he said shaking their hands. "I'm a friend of Mrs. St. John's friend Janie Spencer. She asked me to come to take Mrs. St. John home."

Alex and Bobby looked at each other skeptically. "Uh, follow us this way, Mr. Lowell," Bobby said, leading the way to the conference room. He opened the door and stood aside as Alex and Mr. Lowell walked in first. Angel looked up at everyone. "I'm Mack Lowell, Mrs. St. John," the stranger said, extending his hand to her. She reluctantly shook his hand. "I'm a friend of your friend, Janie Spencer. She saw the accident that you were involved in on television. She called me and asked me to take you home." Angel tried to hide her surprise at the use of the nickname DeMarco called Janelle by.

Bobby and Alex caught the look. "Mr. Lowell, we're going to be keeping Mrs. St. John here for a little while," Alex said. He made a face. "Really? Is she being charged with something? I am a lawyer, you know," he said. He reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out 2 business cards and handed them to the detectives. The law firm he belonged to was the same one that David Brewster ran. Bobby started to reach for his handcuffs, but Alex faintly shook her head. _"What the hell could we charge him with?" _she thought. "She's not being charged with anything, Mr. Lowell, but we do have a lot of questions that need to be answered," Alex replied.

* * *

Angel saw Bobby and Alex were thinking very hard to find a way to keep Mr. Lowell from being suspicious. "Could you tell me where the ladies room is, Detective Eames?" she asked. "Sure," Alex said. "I'll show you where it is." Angel stood up, purse in hand and followed Alex out of the door, casting a quick glance at Bobby. She smiled briefly at him. He nodded.

"Don't worry, Angel. We'll think of something to keep Mr. Snake Oil's henchman away from you," Alex said when she and Angel entered the empty ladies room. Angel went into one of the stalls and hung her purse on the hook. She stood there, wringing her hands and crying, wondering what in the world she was going to do. "You heard what I said, didn't ya? We're not going to let anything happen to you." "Yes, I heard you, Alex," she said between sniffles.

* * *

Angel came out of the stall. She stood in front of a sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "Everything will be okay," Alex said. "I promise." Angel nodded. She cried and bit her bottom lip and played with her locket, moving it up and down its chain with her right hand. _"Janelle's life is in danger now. What do I do now?" _she thought to herself. She looked down at the sink, thinking. Finally, an idea struck her. She turned on the water and leaned down to splash some on her face.

Angel reached over to the paper towel dispenser and pulled off a few sheets to dry her face. She tossed the used towels in the trashcan. She looked at her reflection in the mirror once again and thought, _"Please forgive me, Bobby, for what I'm about to do." _"John 15:13," she said quietly. "What you'd say, Angel?" Alex asked. Angel looked at her and gave a her a cooked smile. "John 15:13. Something I think about when there's trouble." "Oh." Angel took a deep breath as she took a small step back away from the sink. She looked at the porcelain sink, looked at her reflection in the mirror before taking another deep breath and closing her eyes, letting her whole body go limp.

"Angel!" Alex shouted as Angel's body fell forward, her forehead cracking against the sink first before the momentum carried her body backwards, allowing her head to bounce on the tile floor twice when her body came to rest. There was blood everywhere.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Notes: I thought this chapter was going to be the last chapter for this story, but my imagination and muse has given me more to write. YAY! LOL LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a while. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
MCS, Ladies Restroom, 2:00 p.m.

"Oh, my God!" Alex exclaimed as she rushed to Angel's still form. _"Why did you do this?! Why did you do this?!" _her mind screamed as she checked for a pulse. The small cut that was on Angel's forehead from the car accident was now bigger and had blood pouring out of it. Alex jumped up and grabbed some paper towels. She placed them against the wound and applied pressure, trying to stop the flowing blood. She was racking her brain, trying to remember what John 15:13 meant. "Angel, why did you do this?" Alex said. "You shouldn't have done this! We'd protect you. Why did you do this?!" Alex stayed where she was for another minute before getting up and throwing open the door to get some help.

Bobby and Mack Lowell had walked out of the conference room. "Detective Goren," Mr. Lowell said, "I understand that you and your partner have a case to solve and I'm sure Mrs. St. John would be more than willing to help you out, but I must insist that you allow her to go home and rest and recover from this accident for a while before you start grilling her with a barrage of questions." Bobby opened his mouth to say something, but Captain Ross walked up and said, "I'm sure my detectives will not push Mrs. St. John too hard with their questions, Mr.?"

* * *

"Lowell. Mack Lowell," he said, extending his hand to Ross. "I'm Captain Danny Ross, Mr. Lowell." Bobby handed Ross Mr. Lowell's business card. "He's a lawyer, Captain," he said. Ross read the card, making a note of the law firm Mr. Lowell was associated with it. _" This just gets better and better," _he thought to himself. "Mr. Lowell, I truly understand and appreciate your concern for Mrs. St. John's well being, but I can assure you that my detectives will treat her as gently as possible without pushing her too hard."

"I'm glad you understand, Captain," Mr. Lowell said. "But I still must insist that you release Mrs. St. John to me." "Mr. Lowell, has Mrs. St. John asked you to be her legal representative?" Ross asked. "Um, well, no. She hasn't. I'm here as a favor to her friend, Janie Spencer. As I told your detectives before, Janie saw the accident on television. She asked me to take Mrs. St. John home." Ross nodded his head and said, "I see. How about I make a deal with you, Mr. Lowell? When Mrs. St. John returns from the.." "Ladies room," Bobby said, filling in the blank. "Thank you, Detective," Ross said. "When she returns from the ladies room, we'll ask her if she wants you to be her legal representative. If Mrs. St. John says 'yes,' then you are welcome to stick around and be with her while my detectives question her. If she says 'no,' then you'll leave and I will personally make sure Mrs. John gets home safely."

Mr. Lowell nodded. "I accept your terms, Captain Ross," he said, holding out his hand. Captain Ross was about to shake Mr. Lowell's hand when Alex came bursting into the squad room, shouting, "Captain! We've got a medical emergency! We need an ambulance!" The urgency in Alex's voice and the sight of blood on her hands shocked everyone in the squad room. Captain Ross started barking orders. "Logan! Grab the trauma kit and go with Goren to help Eames! And for Pete's sake, wear gloves!" Mike grabbed a duffel bagged trauma kit and followed Bobby and Alex to the ladies room.

Captain Ross then grabbed the nearest phone and dialed for help. "Wheeler, get over here!" he said sharply after hanging up the phone. As Megan walked towards the captain, Ross said to Mr. Lowell, "Detective Wheeler is going to escort you to your car, Mr. Lowell. Once the ambulance gets here, all hell will break loose and you won't be able to leave for a while." "Yes, of course, Captain," Mr. Lowell said. "You'll let me know what hospital Mrs. St. John is being taken to as soon as possible?"

Ross nodded his head. "You'll be the first one to know," he lied. Wheeler pointed at the elevators. "After you, sir," she said. Lowell walked towards the elevators. As Megan walked passed Ross, he gave her a look that she was all too familiar with. A look that said, "Observe and report back to me." She nodded her head and followed Lowell. Ross sighed heavily and shook his head, wondering what kind of case his detectives had fallen into.

* * *

"Oh, my God!" Mike and Bobby both exclaimed as they stood the doorway of the ladies room. Alex had found the doorstop the cleaning crew used to prop the door open. She resumed her previous duty of applying pressure to Angel's head wound. Bobby was the first one to recover and quickly sprang into action. He hung his jacket up on top of the door and took the bag out of Mike's hands. Mike shook himself a little and followed Bobby inside after putting his jacket on top of Bobby's.

"Eames, what happened?" Bobby asked calmly as he knelt down and opened the duffel bag. Alex got up to throw away the blood soaked paper towels, telling him how Angel got hurt. She conveniently left out the part about Angel mentioning John 15:13. Bobby tore open a couple of large gauze bandage roll packets. "Put some gloves on, Goren," Logan said as Bobby started to touch Angel's forehead with his bare hands. He had knelt down and tore open some gauze bandage pads, handing them to Bobby.

Bobby sighed heavily and said, "I've already exchanged bodily fluids with her. I think wearing gloves now is a moot point." He placed the pads on the wound and started to carefully wrap the bandages around her head. Alex and Mike stared at him in awe, amazed at the amount of calmness he displayed as he tended to his Angel's wound. But the calmness Bobby showed belied the angry and murderous thought that had crossed his mind ever since he and Alex had brought Angel into the squad room. _"I will kill them. I will kill them all."_ When he finished dressing Angel's wound, Bobby put his hands on either side of her head to hold it steady until the paramedics arrived. He leaned down, his lips close to her ear. "Help's on the way, love," he whispered softly. "Hold on for me. I'm right here." He repeated what he said over and over again, more for his peace of mind than hers.

* * *

"Thank you for the escort, Detective Wheeler," Mack Lowell said when he and Megan reached the parking level of 1PP. "My car's parked over there." He pointed across the way to a silver Chrysler 300 that was backed into a parking space. "You're welcome, Mr. Lowell," she said. She noticed that a white male was already behind the wheel. When he saw that Wheeler was looking at him, he put some shades on and turned his head to the side. "Be careful getting out of here, Mr. Lowell." "I will, Detective. Thank you."

Megan watched Lowell scurry to the waiting car. She waited until the engine started before heading towards the elevator. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, Megan moved out of the sight of both passengers and hid behind the SUV that Alex and Bobby had been riding in. She watched the car take off, getting the license plate number before going back upstairs to the squad room.

"What the hell happened, Mack?!" Brewster said sharply as he drove away. "Why isn't that gray eyed bitch with you?!" "Don't be getting pissy with me, David!" Lowell snapped. "You're the idiot who had some crazy ass broad steal from Frank Devlin! Shit! You and your fucking brilliant get rich quick schemes are about to get us all killed!" Brewster took a deep breath. "What happened?" he asked again. Lowell said, "I don't know. She went to the ladies room with that Detective Eames. The next thing I know Eames comes out with blood on her hands and yelling for medical help."

Brewster slapped at the steering wheel. "Shit!" he said. "What are you going to do now?" Lowell asked. "If Frankie Devil finds out you had anything to do with his missing property, he'll have your head brought to him on a silver platter." "Don't you think I fucking know that, Mack!? Geez, you and everybody involved in this plan loves to remind me of that little detail!" Lowell flipped Brewster the bird before looking out the window. Brewster inhaled and exhaled loudly a few times. "We're going to that shop her friends own," he finally said. He reached between his seat and pulled out a .22 caliber gun. "We'll give them 2 choices: tell us where the jump drive is or die."

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Hudson Medical Center, 2:50 p.m.

Inside of the men's room that was off the emergency room, Bobby washed his hands for the 10th time when he and Alex arrived at the hospital. She drove the SUV; he had rode in the ambulance with Angel. Captain Ross told the paramedics to take her to a hospital that was not too close to the 1PP, just in case Mr. Lowell was inclined to show up and snatch Angel away. _"Now, I know how Lady Macbeth felt," _he thought as he dried his hands. He kept imagining that Angel's blood was on his hands. He gripped the sides of the sink, his head hung down. "Please, Angel," Bobby pleaded softly. "Don't leave me. Please, don't…don't leave me like this." He looked at his image in the mirror. All of the anger, hurt and pain he was feeling welled up inside him. Without even thinking, he took a deep breath, raised his fist and smashed it into the mirror.

Alex threw the door open at the sound of smashing glass. She sighed heavily at the sight before her: Bobby gripping the sides of the sink, one of his hands bleeding and his head hung low. She closed the door behind her and locked it. She walked over to him. She put her hand on his back and started rubbing circles. Then Alex laid her head on his shoulder, looking at her image and his in the broken mirror. "You have got to pull yourself together," she said softly. "Because if you don't, Ross will pull you off of this case."

* * *

Bobby remained silent while Alex continuing rubbing his back. _"I didn't let him take me off the case when Jo Gage kidnapped you," _he said silently to himself. _"I'll be damned if I let him take me off of this case!" _Alex could feel Bobby tense up underneath her hand. "Dammit, Robert Goren!" she said sharply. "You better talk to me! What's going on in that head of yours?" Bobby inhaled and exhaled. "I want to kill them…for hurting Angel," he quietly replied after a few minutes of silence.

Alex sighed heavily. She knew her partner well enough to know that he'd do what he was thinking. "What does John 15:13 say?" she asked. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," Bobby replied. "Why do you ask?" Alex sighed again. "That's what Angel muttered before she got hurt. I think she hurt herself on purpose to save Janelle. I don't know. But I do know that Angel wouldn't want you running around like some crazed vigilante working outside of the law. She wouldn't want you to ruin your life or career on some crazy psychopaths. She'd want you to do what you do best: catch the crazy sons of bitches and get them off the streets."

Bobby looked up, shaking his head. "Angel needs me…needs us to bring these bastards to justice," he said. Alex nodded in agreement. "We'll do that. But I need you to refrain from doing your Incredible Hulk impression and smashing things," she said with a slight smile. Despite what he was feeling, a small chuckle escaped from Bobby's lips. She smiled and patted his back. "Come on. Let's get somebody to look at your hand," she said. He nodded and followed her out into the hall.

* * *

"Detective Eames," a short, thin and olive skinned young woman with short brunette hair said as she walked towards Alex and Bobby. He was sitting on a hospital bed, letting a nurse tend to his bleeding hand. "Hey, Dr. Morton," Alex said. "This is my partner, Detective Goren." Dr. Morton smiled at Bobby, he nodded. Alex's phone rang. She excused herself, walking off to take the call. "How's your patient?" he asked anxiously. "Right now, we're running CT scans and x-rays of her skull," Dr. Morton said. "Luckily, we were able to get the bleeding to stop. I think she'll regain consciousness in a few days." "Do you think she'll need any surgery?" She shrugged and said, "I won't be sure until I get the lab results back."

"Doctor, we're going to have to ask you and your staff to keep her identity a secret," Bobby said. "Her…her life may be in danger." Dr. Morton nodded. "Yes, Detective. I know. Your partner told me what happened. There's a uniformed officer with her now. I came by to ask what name should I admit her under." "Laurel Goren," he said. The doctor smiled at the name. "Very well, then. I'll put that name on the charts." She reached into the pocket of her scrubs, pulling out a small, clear plastic bag. She handed it to Bobby. "I thought you might want to hold onto her personal effects for her."

Bobby held up the bag. Inside of it was Angel's necklace, watch, ring and 2 pairs of earrings. He smiled ruefully and placed the bag next to him on the bed. "Thanks, Doctor," he said quietly. "You're welcome, Detective Goren," Dr. Morton said before she turned around and walked away. Alex was thanking someone on the phone when she came back to Bobby. She closed the phone and slid it back into her pocket. "That was Ross," Alex said. "He had Wheeler escort Mack Lowell to his car before the ambulance came for Angel. Wheeler told him that Lowell had a driver. Guess who the driver was?"

* * *

"David Brewster," Bobby said. Alex nodded and touched the tip of her nose. "Bastard," he said under his breath. " I called Drew. He and Janelle are up in New Jersey doing service calls. They won't be back into the city until 7:00." "Did you tell him about Angel?" Alex shook her head. "I told him that we got a tip that David Brewster was looking for him and Janelle. Ross has made arrangements with the Jersey police to have an officer stay with them. A couple of our guys will go up there and escort them back to our precinct. I think we should tell about Angel when they get here." Bobby nodded in agreement.

"I'm all done, Detective Goren," the nurse said. "Thank you, Nurse Bennett," Bobby said. She smiled at him and walked off. "You okay?" Alex asked Bobby. He snorted. "Do I have a choice?" he asked. She folded her arms across her chest, giving him a stern look. He sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." "That's better," Alex said as she reached for her beeping cell phone. She flipped it open and read the text message. "They just brought Richard Hall into our squad room," she said with a smile before closing the phone.

"Best piece of news I've heard all day," Bobby said as he got up off the hospital bed and reached for his jacket. He placed the small plastic bag in one pocket and pulled out the key ring and slip of paper Angel had given him last night out of the other. He held it up to show to Alex. "Let's go by Angel's home first before we head back to the station," he said. "I think I have a pretty good idea where this jump drive is hidden."

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Frank Devlin's Home, 3:15 p.m.

Frank Devlin was sitting in his living room, staring at his 50" plasma TV and rolling 3 Chinese health balls in one hand. He had been in that position, unmoving, for at least an hour. He was fuming mad. He had seen the news about the accident. _"I send them jackasses to pull a simple, FUCKING job and they fuck it up! They let this bitch live!" _he screamed silently to himself. To make matters worse, neither the one of the Frankies was answering his phone calls. He had called each of their cell phones over 2 dozen times. _"Fucking pussies ain't answering their phones because they know the done fucked up!" _

Vinnie approached Devlin cautiously. "Me and Gino are back, Mr. Devlin," he said. Frankie Devil looked away from the TV for a split second to give Vinnie a mean look. "I can see that, dumb ass!" he hissed before looking back at the screen. "What did you find out?" "We followed Brewster like you said. Him and Mack Lowell went to the police station. They left there and went to that computer place. They went in there for a couple minutes before they came back out and headed back to the law firm."

* * *

"Was Eden or Eric or anybody else with them?" Devlin asked. Vinnie shook his head. "No, sir." "I wonder what happened to make Davey leave the police station empty handed," Devlin said mostly to himself. "It might have something to do with that ambulance we passed when we followed him to that computer place," Vinnie offered. Devlin stopped rolling the balls in his hand and looked at him with a frown. "What ambulance?" "An ambulance passed us when we followed Brewster from the police station. It looked like it was headed there."

Devlin blinked a few times. Then he started laughing uncontrollably. A puzzled look crossed Vinnie's face. He took a couple of small steps back just in case Frankie Devil had really lost his mind. Devlin took a deep breath or two, wiping the tears off of his face. "Does your cousin Teddy still work for the 911 emergency call center?" Vinnie nodded and said, "Yes, sir." "Good, good. I want you to call him and find out what hospital that ambulance took this bitch. I want to know her name, her age. I want to know anything and everything about her before I go get my property from her and kill her and her friends."

Vinnie just nodded as he pulled out his cell phone and walked out of the living room. He was glad to get the hell out of there as Devlin started laughing uncontrollably again. Devlin threw his head back and laughed. He started rolling the Chinese health balls in his hand again. He picked up his TV remote and started going through the channels, trying to find something good to watch. He wiped away some more tears from his face as he got his laughter under control. Devlin smiled and sighed contently as he found 'Scarface' playing on the TV. A small chuckle escaped from his lips as he thought to himself, _"Dead! Every last motherfucker who came near or knows about my property will be branded and dead when I get through with them! Ah, what the hell! I think I'll kill me a cop or 2 as well."_


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's notes: I'm baaaaack (LOL) from my business trips to Denver and Jacksonville. My apologies for taking a month (gasp!) to post the next chapter. I do not carry a laptop with me when I travel, so I save my writing for when I return back home. Anywho, look for the crazy people to show up in the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read and/or review this story. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a little spin in my imagination. Any and all mistakes made are my own. There's some gushy/fluffy stuff in here (you've been warned LOL). Read, review and enjoy! :o)**

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
1PP, MCS, 6:05 p.m.

"How's Angel?" Megan Wheeler asked as Bobby and Alex walked into the squad room. Bobby sighed. "She's okay so far. Dr. Morton won't know anything until she gets the lab tests back," he said. "We've got her listed at the hospital under an assumed name for now," Alex said. Megan nodded in understanding. She looked down and noticed Bobby's bandaged hand. "Goren, what happened to your hand?" He held it up and said, "Hulk smash."

Megan looked puzzled, looking at Alex for an explanation. Alex shook her head and said, "You don't want to know." Megan frowned slightly, still a little confused by the "Hulk smash" comment. She reached into her bottom desk drawer, pulling out Angel's backpack purse, handing it to Alex. "Angel's cell phone has been ringing off and on for a while now. At least since she was taken to the hospital anyway." Alex opened the purse and pulled out the phone. She flipped it open, scrolling through the missed calls list with Bobby looking over her shoulder.

Alex shook her head as she read the list. "God, Janelle's called at least 15 times," she said softly. She looked up at Bobby. "Loretta told me that when T. J. died, Janelle was devastated. She and T. J. were very close. Angel being hurt and in a hospital? This will kill her." Bobby remained silent, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks, Wheeler," Alex said. Megan smiled and nodded her head. "You're welcome." Alex turned to Bobby and said, "Come on, Goren. Let's go catch us some bad guys."

* * *

Bobby and Alex walked into the observation area that was between the interrogation rooms. Ross was standing there, watching Richard Hall chew nervously on his fingernails. He turned his head to look at his detectives. "How's Ms. Pierson-St. John?" he asked. "Okay so far," Alex replied. "Dr. Morton will let us know what's going on soon." Ross nodded. He pointed with his head and said, "Meet Richard Alan Hall, a.k.a. Richie Rich. He's been biting on his nails like that ever since he was brought in." "Guilt must bring out that nervous habit," Bobby said as he looked at the suspect. Ross looked at Bobby, noticing his injured hand. He mentally sighed as he rubbed his forehead. _"I have got to find out what's going on with him," _he said to himself.

Alex held a small evidence bag up in front of Ross' face. Inside of it was a black and silver jump drive. "What's this?" he asked, taking the bag out of her hand. "That," Alex said, "is what got DeMarco Anderson killed: Frank Devlin's jump drive." Ross' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Where in the hell did you find it?" "At Ms. Pierson-St. John's home, hidden among other jump drives she owns." Ross shook his head, looking confused. "Alright, I'm lost. How did she get it?"

"We think that Eden Anderson, the victim's sister, stole it from Devlin," Bobby said. "DeMarco Anderson in turn stole it from her and hid it at Angel…Ms. Pierson-St. John's home." Ross noticed Bobby corrected himself, but let it slide for the moment. Instead he asked, "Why do you think he hid it there? Is Ms. Pierson-St. John in on this caper?" "No, she's not. We think he hid it in the last place anybody would think to look," Alex replied. "We won't know for sure until we start rounding up suspects."

Ross sighed, handing the bag back to Alex. "Have you looked at it yet to see what's on there?" he asked. Bobby and Alex both shook their heads. "We did ask the lab to put a rush on the fingerprints that were found on it," Bobby replied. "I think it would be a good idea to let Lt. Garcia come and look at what's on that jump drive with us. Maybe he can help us with any kind of code that needs to be deciphered." Ross mulled over Bobby's suggestion for a few seconds before nodding his head. "I'll talk to Lt. Garcia while you're questioning Hall," he said.

* * *

Alex and Bobby were heading towards the door when Ross said, "Detective Goren, I'd like to have a word with you." Bobby silently mouthed "Shit!" as Alex gave him a sideways glance. "Apologize," she said softly under her breath as she walked out of the door, closing it behind her. Bobby inhaled deeply, blowing the breath out loudly before he turned around to face his captain. "Captain, about earlier today," he started to say, but Ross held up his hand to stop him. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Ross put his hands in his pockets, pointing with his head at Bobby's injured hand. "When you left for the hospital, you weren't injured. Now, you return and you have a bandage on your hand. Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked. Bobby shook his head. "Uh, no…no, sir," he said. "There's nothing to tell. Just clumsiness on my part." Ross gave him a wary look. "Is there something going on in your personal life that I need to be made aware of? Anything going on between you and Ms. Pierson-St. John?"

Bobby looked down at the floor, massaging his neck with his injured hand. _"What's going on between me and Angel is none of your damn business!" _he thought to himself. He finally looked up at Ross, shaking his head again. "No…no, sir. There's nothing going on in my personal life or between me and Ms. Pierson-St. John," he lied. Ross softly grunted as he stared at Bobby. _"One more lie like that and I think his nose will actually start growing." _He sighed and said, "Alright, Detective. That's all for now. Go join your partner. We'll talk again later." Bobby nodded and quickly walked out of the room. Ross shook his head as he massaged his temples. "I swear," he said to himself, "there are some days I can't stand being captain."

* * *

Alex was walking back from her desk when Bobby came out of the observation room. She had some files and the jump drive in one hand, Bobby's binder in the other. She handed him the binder and the jump drive. "Everything okay?" she asked. Bobby nodded as he put the jump drive in the binder. "Yeah. Everything's fine," he said. "Did you apologize or at least attempt to apologize?" He sighed heavily. "Yes, I attempted to apologize, but that's not what he wanted to talk about. He wanted to know what's going on with me." Alex remained silent. She just raised an eyebrow before she headed towards the interrogation room. Bobby followed behind her.

Richard Hall a.k.a. Richie Rich jumped nervously when the interrogation room door opened. A smirk crossed his face when Alex walked into the room, but it fell away when Bobby entered the room. His eyes widen as he took in Bobby's size. Richie Rich was 28 years old, 5 foot 8, slender with short spiky blonde hair that anyone could tell came from a bottle and bright blue eyes. He sported a scraggly looking goatee and sideburns. On his neck, he had a tattoo with his alias and dollar signs and wore baggy clothes. He squirmed in his seat a little bit as Alex sat directly across from him while Bobby remained standing, leaning against the wall.

Richie looked over his shoulder at Bobby. "Why ain't you sitting down?" he asked in a whiny voice. Bobby just stared at him, not saying a word. "Don't mind my partner, Richie," Alex said as she opened his file and began flipping through the papers. "He likes to watch." A small smile flitted across Bobby's lips. She clicked her tongue and shook her head as she read his file. "Richie, Richie, Richie," she said disapprovingly. "You've been a bad boy. Boosting cars, carjacking, robbery, some drug trafficking." She clicked her tongue again. "A very bad boy indeed. Says here that you've got 2 more years of parole left."

* * *

Alex placed her hands on the table, interlacing her fingers and looked at Richie. She said, "So, do you want to go the easy route and tell us where we can find Franco Holland? Or do you want to go the hard route and we bust you for violating the terms of your parole, which will land you back in jail for at least 5 years or longer since you've been hanging around known criminals?" Richie finished biting the nail on his pinky finger before he scoffed. "Pfft! You're talking crazy, lady! I ain't done nothing wrong and I don't know where Franco is. Hell, he's probably outta the state as far as I know! You cops ain't got no right to come busting into my place and interrupting me and my woman anyways. I've been keeping outta trouble!"

Alex looked at Bobby and sighed dramatically. "Guess this means he's taking the hard route," she said. Bobby nodded, saying, "Looks like it." She pulled a piece of paper out of another file and held it up by its edges to show Richie. "What I have here is a copy of a police report about a black Hummer that was stolen this morning from Hall's Hummers and SUVs. A dealership that belongs to your brother Hal." Richie shook his head, biting his nails and shrugging. "That's got nothing to do with me! I'm just a salesman," he said.

"No, see, Richie, that's the wrong answer," Alex said sternly. She laid the report to the side and pulled out some pictures of Angel's wrecked car, laying them out before him. She pointed at each picture and said, "That stolen Hummer has EVERYTHING to do with you. It was used as a battering ram to demolish this car in a hit-and-run accident earlier today. The person or persons inside of that Hummer were trying to KILL this car's driver. I'm willing to bet when we find that Hummer and dust it for fingerprints, your grubby little paw prints will be on there as well as Franco's!"

* * *

Richie's eyes widen as he stared at the pictures. He started biting his nails and shaking his head again. "You're talking crazy again, lady," he said. He leaned forward and made the "cuckoo" sign. "I got nothing to do with this shit!" He leaned back in his chair and bit his nails, trying hard not to look at the pictures. "That's right, Richie. Keep being a hard ass," Alex said in disgust. "You go right ahead and deny knowing Franco Holland's whereabouts. We'll find him without your help. But I want you to remember this: when we find him, we'll connect you to this accident and have the charge of attempted murder added to your already long list of charges."

Richie sat there in silence, swaying from side to side and biting his nails. "I done told you, lady. I ain't got nothing to do with any of this shit!" he said with his fingers in his mouth. Alex sat back in her chair, arms folded across her chest and gave Richie her meanest look. The interrogation room door opened. It was Mike Logan. "Sorry for the interruption," he said from the doorway. "Goren, can I talk to you and Eames for a second?" Bobby pushed himself off the wall as Alex gathered up the pictures and files. "Sit tight, Richie. You'll be here a while," she said as she followed Bobby and Mike out the door.

"What's up, Logan?" Bobby asked. The group of detectives had stopped in the hall outside of the interrogation room. Mike handed him a file folder and said, "While all hell was breaking loose here, that stolen Hummer was found in a bad part of the Bronx by an old informant of mine from my early days. He and his partner managed to keep it from getting boosted until our folks got there." Logan pointed at the folder. "They saw the news reports about the accident. My informant got pictures of the Hummer's occupants as it was being ditched."

Bobby opened the file. He positioned himself so that Alex could see it, too. Inside of the folder were pictures of Eric and Eden Anderson and Franco Holland and Francisco Torres exiting and the leaving the Hummer along with pictures of the wrecked Hummer by itself. Alex looked up at Bobby and smiled. "Got 'em," she said. He smiled back, nodding. They both thanked Mike before heading towards the interrogation room. He grabbed the wrist of Bobby's injured hand and held it up. He looked at Bobby, then at the hand. Mike shook his head as a knowing smile spread over his face before letting go, not saying a word.

* * *

Alex and Bobby walked back into the interrogation room. Richie watched them warily as they assumed their previous positions. The lack of noise made him squirm in his chair. "What are you up to?" he asked with a nervous laugh. "Giving me the silent treatment to make me confess to something I know nothing about?" Bobby inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Eames, do you smell that?" he asked. "What does that smell like?" Alex sniffed the air. "Coitus interruptus?" she replied with a shrug. He chuckled lightly. "You said 'coitus.'" Richie looked back and forth at them. "Who are you guys? Beavis and Butthead?" he asked. "As a matter of fact, we are. I'm Butthead," Alex replied sarcastically.

Bobby walked towards Richie and stood behind him. "What you're actually smelling, Eames, is fear," he said. He leaned down and looked Richie in the eye. "I smell…fear on you, Richie." He straightened up and sniffed the air again. He leaned down on the other side of him and said, "I smell the fear of getting your ass kicked by your brother and going to jail." Richie laughed nervously. "Man, now you're talking crazy. I ain't scared of Hal or jail. I ain't done nothing. I don't know nothing."

Bobby took the pictures of the damaged Hummer out of the folder and laid them out in front of Richie. He looked at the pictures with fear. Bobby grunted as he walked to stand at the opposite end of the table. He watched Richie's reaction as he laid his binder and the file down on the table. "Your fear level just increased, Richie," Bobby said. "You want to tell my partner the truth now?" Richie scoffed and shook his head, pushing the pictures away from him as he bit his nails. "You found the Hummer. Big deal! I ain't got nothing to do with this damn thing getting stolen. I still don't know nothing about Franco. Nothing!"

* * *

"What's the going price for taking a human life these days, Richie?" Bobby asked quietly. Richie looked at him with a frown. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. Bobby took the pictures of Eden and the crew out of the folder. He laid them on top of the Hummer photos. Richie turned his head to look at Bobby as he leaned down. Instead, Bobby placed his hand on the back of Richie's neck and squeezed, applying pressure to make him turn his head to look at the pictures.

"What's the going price for taking a human life?" Bobby repeated in a low voice that was tinged with anger. He tapped a picture of Franco Holland, then pointed at the individual pictures of Eden, Eric and Francisco. "The young woman they attacked today is laying in a hospital, seriously injured," he hissed. "She could die. If she does, we'll charge YOU for her murder. Then you'll really have something to fear." Richie pushed himself away from the table and out of Bobby's grasp. He jumped up and backed himself up against the wall.

"I ain't got nothing to do with that!" Richie said hysterically, pointing at the pictures. "Franco didn't say anything about killing nobody!" Bobby walked up to him, arms folded across his chest and nostrils flared. "What did Franco say?!" he snapped. Richie ran his fingers through his hair and muttered, "Oh, man" a few times.

* * *

"Look, Franco and that fucking midget Francisco came by my place last night," Richie said, looking wildly between Alex and Bobby. He took a couple of steps away from Bobby. "They told me they needed to borrow something large from Hal's lot to do a job for Frankie Devil. Franco told me that he'd bring the car back before Hal knew it was missing. He gave me 100 Gs and I took them to the lot. I picked the Hummer that was way in the back of the lot. Hell, I didn't think Hal would notice the damn thing was gone this fast!"

Alex held a picture of Eric and Eden. "Who are these other 2 creeps?" she asked. Richie shook his head vigorously. "I don't know who they are!" he said. "I've never met them before!" Bobby closed the space between him and Richie. He leaned down, his face a mere 3 inches away from Richie's. "Where are Franco Holland and Francisco Torres hiding out now?" Bobby asked. Richie shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I don't know." Bobby poked him hard in the shoulder once. "Where are they, Richie?" he asked, his voice slightly raised.

Richie nervously held up his left hand, then switched to his right hand. "I swear I don't know where they are!" he said. "I didn't even know Frankie Devil had let them back into the state until they showed up last night." "Then I suggest you take a guess at their whereabouts," Alex said, "before my partner there gets angry." Bobby smirked at Richie. "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry, Richie," he said. Richie ran his fingers through his hair. "Aw, man. Hal's gonna kill me," he muttered as he racked his brain for some information.

"Franco's got a niece named Julie Reese. She's a stripper at some club in Queens called Denim and Diamonds. At least she used to be. Her stage name is Juicy Jules. She might be the manager by now," Richie said in defeat. "He used to go her when he was in trouble. That's all I know." Bobby looked at Alex, who was flipping through a file. She looked up at him and nodded. "Works for me," she said. Bobby turned and smiled at Richie, clapping him on the shoulder. "See how easy that was, Richie? You've made me a happy man." Richie rubbed at his shoulder and said "Ouch" as Bobby and Alex gathered their things and walked out the door.

* * *

"Good work, detectives," Captain Ross said as Alex and Bobby entered the observation room. Alex and Bobby both just nodded their heads. "We're gonna head to this club to see if we can find this niece of Franco Holland's," Alex said with a sigh. "Actually, I'll get some other detectives to follow up on this lead for you," Ross said. "The Spencers have arrived. They're waiting for you in the conference room." Bobby and Alex looked at each other, both dreading to give Janelle and Drew the bad news about Angel.

When Alex and Bobby entered the conference room, Janelle was pacing back and forth between the wall and Drew on the opposite side of the table. She had her cell phone pressed to her ear. "I don't understand this. It's not like Angel to miss appointments and not tell anybody. She always calls," she said as she walked up to Drew for the umpteenth time, closing the phone sharply. They turned their heads to look at the detectives. "Hey, guys," Janelle said. She walked around the table to greet them.

* * *

Janelle stopped short in her tracks as she noticed Alex carrying a black leather backpack purse. She recognized it right away as the purse she had given to Angel for her 33rd birthday. "Where's Angel?" she asked cautiously. Alex sighed. "There's something we need to tell you and Drew," she said softly, taking a step towards her friend. Janelle put up her hand to stop Alex's approach. Tears started forming in her eyes as she looked at Bobby, then Alex. "Drew, call Angel," she said, tossing her phone to him.

"Please, Janelle, wait," Alex said as she began to move towards her, but Janelle put her hand up again. "Drew, call Baby Girl now! Speed dial 5!" Janelle's breathing quickened as her tears spilled down her cheeks. Drew quickly opened the phone and pressed the number 5. Janelle put one hand on the table to steady herself and the other on her stomach, doubling over as if she had been punched when the musical notes of "Raspberry Beret" came from the purse. She looked up at Alex with wide eyes and asked, "Where's Angel?! Where's her body?!" Drew closed the phone and tossed it on the table as if it were on fire. He staggered back towards the wall as he grabbed his head with both hands, shaking it back and forth and muttering, "Oh, no. Oh, no," over and over.

Alex grabbed a chair and helped Janelle sit down in it, while Bobby went over to Drew. Drew had slid with his back against the wall down towards the floor. Bobby kneeled down next to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Drew, Angel's in the hospital. She's not dead," he said. "Look at me, Drew. You gotta breathe." Drew looked at Bobby, who was inhaling and exhaling deeply. Drew began following Bobby's lead.

Janelle was rocking back and forth in the chair, wringing her hands in her lap. "Is that true?" she asked Alex, tears still falling down her face. Alex nodded, grabbing Janelle by the shoulders to stop her rocking. "Yes. Angel's in the hospital. We're going to take you to see her. Okay?" Janelle pressed her lips together and nodded. She continued her rocking motion. Alex pulled up another chair and sat down next to her. Janelle laid her head on Alex's shoulder. She smiled to herself as she rocked her body slowly. She didn't care if she wasn't displaying proper police behavior at the moment. Right now, her friend needed a shoulder to cry on and she was glad to offer that shoulder.

* * *

"_Am I dead?" Angel thought to herself as she stared out at the crystal clear lake. She was sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree with her legs stretched out in front of her. She looked down at her clothes, noticing she had on her favorite gray MTSU Raiders t-shirt, dark blue denim capris and no shoes. "I didn't wear this today. At least I don't think I did. I must be dead."_

"_No, you're not dead. Just in a waiting room of sorts," a warm male voice said from behind the tree. "Garvin?" Angel asked softly aloud. She stood up and peeked around the tree. Standing there in a plain white t-shirt, black jogging pants and white running shoes was a tall man with warm cocoa brown skin. "Garvin?" she asked in disbelief. He gave her a lopsided smile and said, "What's up, Heartbreaker?" _

_Angel walked up to him, with more curiosity than fear. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled at her dead husband. "Hi," she said. "Hey, Heartbreaker," he said again. She chuckled lightly at the nickname he had given her when they had met for the first time at a party. She hugged him around his waist. He hugged her back. Garvin stepped back to look at her. They just smiled at each other._

* * *

"_What is this place?" Angel asked. "A place for you to wait until you decide to go back," Garvin explained. "Oh." She looked around and noticed that there were other people there, too besides her and him. He took her hand and started walking along the shore. "When will I know to go back?" Garvin shrugged. "You'll just know," he said. She nodded. They continued walking in silence._

_Angel thought she should have been freaked out by the fact that she was holding hands with her dead husband, but she didn't. It actually felt natural to her somehow. "He's nice," Garvin said. She looked at him. "He who?" she asked. "Bobby," he answered. "He's nice. A little weird, but nice." She stopped and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. Garvin chuckled, putting up his hands. "I'm just stating fact, not judging," he said. Angel gave him a wary look before taking his hand again._

_

* * *

_

Angel and Garvin continued walking along the shore, hand in hand. "I want to show you something," he said, pulling her away from the shore. They headed towards a playground. There were a lot of kids around, playing, laughing and shouting. Garvin led Angel to a multicolor merry-go-round where 4 boys and 2 girls were playing. One of the boys looked to be about 8 or 9 years old, the oldest of the bunch. One of the girls looked to be about 1 year old, the youngest of the bunch.

"_Look familiar?" Garvin asked as he and Angel stood at the edge of the playground watching the kids on the merry-go-round. Angel shook her head. "Should I know them?" she asked. He leaned over to her and said, "Take a real good look at them, Angel." She looked at the kids harder. She noticed they all had the same caramel colored skin as she did, and that all the boys and the oldest girl had black hair. She gasped as she realized that the youngest girl had brown hair and gray eyes just like her._

"_My daughter?" Angel whispered in awe. She absentmindedly touched her stomach. Garvin chuckled and said, "Your babies." Her eyes widen. "With Bobby?" she asked. Garvin nodded. "The oldest boy and girl you'll adopt. The rest are yours and his." _

_Angel looked at Garvin, then at the kids, then at Garvin again. "Will I remember any of this when I go back? Will I remember them?" she asked hopefully. Garvin shook his head. "You'll think you've had a hazy, crazy dream when you wake up. Everything will be fuzzy," he said. Her shoulders slumped. "Oh." He pointed to an empty park bench. "You can sit over and wait until you're ready to go." _

_Angel walked over to the bench and sat down. Garvin sat down beside her. "I'll keep you company," he said with a smile. She gave him a small smile as she squeezed his hand. She didn't say anything. She just sat there and sighed, watching her and Bobby's future running around, having a very good time._

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Hudson Medical Center, 8:19 p.m.

Janelle and Drew stood at the foot of Angel's hospital bed in complete silence as they looked at their friend. Angel was laying under a light blanket, her breathing steady. She had tubes running from her arms and a bandage on her forehead. The nurse was in there checking Angel's vitals. Janelle cried as she covered her mouth and shook her head. Drew put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Look at her, Drew," she said softly. "My sister is hurt. My best friend was willing to sacrifice her life to save me. Make her wake up, Drew." He gave her a squeeze. "She'll wake up on her own, baby. You'll see," he said. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face on his shoulder.

The nurse finished scribbling something on Angel's chart and closed it. She walked over to Drew and took the small duffel bag he was holding without saying a word. "I'll put this over here," she said quietly, pointing at a chair. After putting the duffel bag down, she moved another chair next to the bed. She let down the guardrail and said, "Mrs. Spencer, why don't you come sit down and hold her hand. Talk to her."

* * *

Janelle pulled away from Drew and sat down in the chair, scooting it closer to the bed. She put Angel's hand in hers and squeezed it. She laid her head next to Angel's. "You gotta wake up now," she whispered, stroking Angel's hair with her other hand. "You can't leave this world and leave me and Drew behind. It's not your time yet. You gotta wake up now. You can't leave me."

Drew smiled at the nurse, quietly saying thank you. She smiled and squeezed his arm. "Let me know if you need anything." He nodded and said "I will," before walking over to stand behind Janelle, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Drew, tell Baby Girl to wake up," Janelle said quietly. A wry chuckle escaped his lips as a single tear rolled down his face. "She'll wake up, baby," he said reassuringly. "Baby Girl will wake up soon." Janelle continued stroking Angel's hair and whispering, "Wake up, sis. Wake up."

Bobby and Alex walked in as the nurse walked out. They stopped and stood near the door. Bobby's heart sank as he saw his Angel laying there helpless. He tried to move, but his feet felt as if they were rooted to the spot he was standing in. Alex looked up at Bobby, nudging him in the side. "You okay?" she asked. He looked down at his hands and nodded. _"It's your fault that she's here. You didn't protect her like you should have," _he thought to himself. Alex touched his arm. "Don't you dare blame yourself," she said. "This is no one's fault but the bad guys." Bobby gave her small smile. "Th-thanks," he said.

* * *

Drew walked over to Alex and Bobby. "You guys okay?" Alex asked him. Drew nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. So far. You guys alright?" They nodded. Drew looked down at the ground, shaking his head. When he looked back up, his eyes were watering. He sniffed and stepped closer to Bobby, standing toe to toe with him and poking him in the chest a few times. When Drew began to speak, his voice was raw with emotion.

"Garvin regained consciousness from his accident long enough to make me and my wife promise that we would take care of, love and protect Angel until someone came along that was good enough to take his place and do those things that he did for her," Drew said. He poked Bobby in the chest again. "When you gave her that ring and your heart yesterday, Janelle and I knew that we had done our part in keeping our promise to a dying man." He pointed at Angel. "Your heart is laying there in that hospital bed, broken and bleeding. I want to know what you are going to do to fix it?"

Bobby looked Drew straight in the eye. He cleared his throat and said, "I promise I will catch the people who tried to kill her." Drew shook his index finger at him. "You'd better because I'm like Tony Montana. I don't break my balls or my word for no one. I'll be damned if I break my word to my dead best friend." Bobby leaned in closer to Drew, saying, "I. Will. Get. Them." "My friend," Drew said, "you better get the sons of bitches who did this before I do. 'Cause if I get them, all kinds of hell will break loose and NYC will burn, baby, burn. You've got my word on that."


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's notes: Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your holiday. This chapter is rated M for the language. As much as I watch Criminal Intent and other police drama shows, I hope I've gotten some of the terms and things they use correct. So, I apologize if I've used anything incorrectly. There's some more mushy/gushy/otherworldly stuff in here, too. You can't say you haven't been properly warned. LOL Here's the disclaimer (gotta keep the lawyers off my back): LOCI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for a little bit. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy! :o)**

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Monday, August 21  
Hudson Medical Center, 9:00 p.m.

Alex placed her hand on Drew's arm. "Drew, you can't go around and take the law into your own hands. You know better than that," she said softly. "Bobby and I will get these bad guys. It's just going to take some time. That's all." Drew sighed heavily as he looked at her. "I just…I just want this shit to be over and done with," he said. Drew looked at Bobby, then back at Alex. "I'm sorry. I know you guys are doing the best you can," he said with a sigh. He looked at Janelle before turning back to the 2 detectives. "I don't know if Janelle and I can handle losing any more friends."

Alex squeezed Drew's arm. "Everything will be fine," she said. Drew gave her small smile before he turned around to go stand behind Janelle. She sat up straight in the chair, still holding Angel's hand. "I wish you'd wake up now," she whispered. Drew sighed deeply as he massaged her shoulders. Bobby and Alex went to stand on the opposite side of the hospital bed. Bobby hesitated for a second before he reached out and held Angel's other hand. "I'm here, Angel," he said quietly.

* * *

Dr. Morton walked into the room. She smiled at the small group. "Detectives, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer," she said. They all said "Hi, Dr. Morton" in unison. She stood at the foot of the bed so that she could see and address everyone. "Did you get the power of attorney paperwork?" Janelle asked. "Yes, I did," Dr. Morton said. "I got 2 sets actually. One for you and your husband and one for her parents." Janelle nodded, pressing her lips. She glanced at the floor before looking at the doctor. "If Angel's life has to be terminated, Drew and I can't, we WON'T, do it," she explained. "Her parents need to make that decision."

Dr. Morton looked at Drew. He nodded. Then she looked at Alex and Bobby. She noticed that Bobby looked paler than he did when she had first met him. "Well, let me assure you all that THAT decision will not come into play here," she said. "I've looked at all of Angel's MRIs and CAT scans. Fortunately, she has no swelling in her brain, no fractured skull. She's got some slight bruising, nothing too serious, though. She's just unconscious. It'll take some time for her to come around."

"Right now, I'm ordering everyone to go home," Dr. Morton said as she looked at them all individually. "Get some rest and come back tomorrow." Janelle and Bobby started to protest, but Dr. Morton held up her hands. "Especially the two of you," she said. "You won't be any good to her if you don't take care of yourselves first. Faylene, the nurse that was just in here, and I are a force to be reckoned with it comes to making patients' families follow doctors' orders. If anything changes, we'll let you know. Now, let us all vamoose."

Dr. Morton marched to the door and held it open, indicating the discussion was over and that her orders were to be followed. Janelle and Drew took turns kissing Angel on the cheek before walking out of the room. They waited in the hallway for Alex and Bobby. Alex squeezed Angel's hand before she gave Bobby a pat on the back. "We'll wait for you downstairs," she said. He just nodded.

Bobby stood there and just stared at Angel, gently stroking her hand. He leaned down and placed his forehead against hers. "It...it…it hurts to see you like this," he said softly. "I don't want this morning to be the last…last time I saw you smile or heard you say 'I love you' or made love to you.You are the first woman I've given my heart to that actually knows how to treat it with care. I appreciate that." "Detective Goren," Dr. Morton said softly, "go home and rest." Bobby sighed, then kissed Angel's forehead. "I love you, Angel," he said as he straightened up and walked out of the door.

**

* * *

**

Monday, August 21  
Law Office of David Brewster, 11:35 p.m.

David Brewster sent another text message to Eden Anderson's cell phone as he set the security alarm. "Shit," he muttered to himself. He headed back to his office. Mack Lowell was sitting in one of the chairs opposite Brewster's desk, swirling some Jack Daniels in a 3 ounce shot glass. "She could be dead, you know," he said when Brewster plopped himself down into his chair behind his desk.

"Eden? Dead?" Brewster said, reaching for the bottle and pouring himself a drink. He snorted. "Not without taking Frank James' eyes out and balls off first." "Well, then either you accept that fact or accept the fact that she's keeping that damn jump drive for herself," Lowell growled before taking a sip of his drink. "Quit bitching, Mack! Damn! Have a fucking backbone for a change!" "I'm not bitching!" Lowell hissed. "I'm trying to get your stupid ass to realize that your crazy plan is totally screwed up!" Brewster shook an index finger at him and said, "If my plan is so crazy, then YOUR stupid ass should have walked away from it at the beginning!"

* * *

Lowell and Brewster had been so caught up in their own heated conversation that they both jumped when they heard someone say "Gentlemen" from the doorway. It was Frank Devlin. He was impeccably dressed in a custom tailored black suit with thin white stripes, white shirt, solid black tie and shoes, his dark sandy blonde hair was slicked back. Devlin's blue eyes seemed to be a bit more piercing than usual.

A sly, devilish smile crossed Devlin's lips as he walked into the room. "You two look like you've seen…a ghost," he said, stopping next to Lowell. "How in the hell did you get in here?" Brewster asked with awe. Devlin shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "You keep forgetting, Davey, I used to install security systems when I was younger." _"Damn! Son of a bitch probably disabled my cameras and everything else," _Brewster thought to himself. Devlin extended his hand to Lowell. "What's up, Big Mack Attack?" he said with a smile.

Lowell looked warily at Devlin before he shook his hand. "Frankie," he said tersely. While Devlin wasn't looking, Brewster had slowly moved his hand from the top of the desk to underneath it. He placed his finger on the trigger of the sawed off double barrel shotgun that was mounted there and pointed it at the Devil. "Why in the world do you have that cannon pointed at me?" Frank Devlin said as he turned his attention back to Brewster, whose eyes widen slightly in surprise.

Devlin took a step back and held up his hands. "Do I look like I'm dressed to kill?" he asked innocently. He snickered for a few seconds at his own private joke. "Sorry," he said between snickers, "I amuse myself sometimes." Brewster and Lowell exchanged brief glances. Frank took a deep cleansing breath to compose himself. "Davey, don't be rude," he said, "pour me a drink." Brewster sighed quietly as he took his finger off the trigger and turned around to reach for a glass.

* * *

"Mack, I've got some personal business to discuss with Davey," Devlin said. "Take a hike, will ya? Go and get ready for Sammy's arraignment on Wednesday." Lowell looked at Brewster, then at Devlin. He visibly relaxed as he nodded his head. _"He must have his property back," _he thought to himself as he finished his drink. _"Otherwise, he'd have 2 of his guards with him and nobody would be walking out of here alive." _Lowell stood up and put on his jacket. "See ya in the a.m., Davey," he said as he walked out of the room.

Devlin took the chair that Lowell had just vacated. He watched Brewster in complete silence as he poured him a drink then passed it to him. Devlin sniffed and swirled the drink before knocking the whole thing back. Brewster started to sweat profusely at Frankie Devil's mysterious smile and the soft thud he heard coming from the reception area. "Davey, you're sweating," Devlin said as he held up his glass, indicating he wanted some more. Brewster mindlessly obliged the request. "That's not a good look for you," Frankie Devil finished saying.

"What did you just do to Mack?" Brewster asked, afraid of the answer he was going to get. Devlin shook his head. "Not a damn thing. You're starting to get paranoid." He frowned slightly. "It kinda sucks that you don't trust me, Davey," he said before draining his glass. "It's not that I don't trust you, Frankie," Brewster said, "it's just that I know how you can get sometimes when you think you've been wronged. You flip out for no fucking reason. Besides, I'm the only one who can keep you out of jail. You need me."

Devlin raised an eyebrow at Brewster's newfound bravado. "You're right, Davey. I do need you," he said in agreement. He pointed with his head at the picture of Brewster and Eden. "I wondered who Eden was fucking when she went on that cruise this past May." Brewster smirked at Devlin, knowing he had taken yet another woman away from him. "What can I say, Frankie? I'm a chick magnet."

* * *

Devlin chuckled as he stood up. "You're funny, Davey. Very funny," he said as he walked around the desk and sat down next to the picture, placing it face down. Brewster looked up at him, trying to figure out what Frankie was up to. "Have you heard from Eden? Does she still have my shit or are you holding out on me?" Devlin asked. Brewster shook his head. "The answer is 'no' to all questions," he replied.

Devlin leaned forward to look into Brewster's eyes. He saw that he was actually telling the truth. Brewster turned his head towards the door as he heard someone approach. That someone was Vinnie. "Mr. Devlin," he said, "your lady friend called and said that she'll meet you at the restaurant." "Thank you, Vinnie," he said, standing up and pulling a knife out of his inner jacket pocket. He held Brewster tightly by the forehead as he quickly and effortlessly sliced his throat open.

The last thing David Brewster saw as he was dying was Frank Devlin smile menacingly down upon him with a knife in his hand. The last words Brewster heard uttered by the Devil were "Don't ever fuck with the Devil, Davey. It will cost you your soul and your life."

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, August 22  
Law Office of David Brewster, 2:05 a.m.

"I sometimes wish people would get killed during regular business hours," Alex muttered humorlessly as she and Bobby ducked under the crime scene tape. After having dropped Janelle and Drew at their home (they had to wait a few minutes before a uniformed officer could be posted across the street) and dropping Bobby off at his apartment, Alex had headed home. She had barely been asleep for 45 minutes when her cell phone started ringing. It was Captain Ross informing her that officers had been called to David Brewster's office.

Dr. Rogers and two of her assistants had placed the body of Mack Lowell on the stretcher when the detectives walked up. "What can you tell us, Doc?" Alex asked. "Right now, all I can tell you is that this guy was shot in the chest 4 times," Dr. Rogers said as she pointed out the bullet holes. "There are no exit wounds, so I'd say he was shot at close range. Based on the liver temp, I'd place time of death around 11:30, midnight. He might have been killed before the other guy in there."

"Thanks, Doc," Alex said. Bobby followed her towards Brewster's office. "Detective Goren," Dr. Rogers said. He turned around as she walked up to him. "I heard about your Angel," she said quietly. She gave his arm a small reassuring squeeze before walking away. Bobby smiled to himself, thankful and surprised by Dr. Rogers' action and concern.

* * *

When Bobby entered the office, Alex had finished talking to the one of the CSU technicians. "CSU hasn't found the murder weapon," she said. Bobby nodded as he went to examine Brewster's body, gently lifting the head. "His throat's been sliced from ear to ear," he said, putting the head back down. Alex pointed at the bottle of Jack Daniels and 2 glasses. "Think Brewster and Lowell had a drink to celebrate all of this madness that's going on?" she asked.

Bobby frowned as he looked at the tray that held the glasses. "There's a glass missing from the tray. He probably took it with him," he said as he went to stand next to Alex. "Whoever killed them had a drink, too." "For what? To steady his nerves?" she asked. He shook his head. "Maybe it was a drink to be…be sociable."

As Bobby gazed at the scene before him, he noticed that the picture of Brewster and Eden was laying face down. "Eames, look at this," he said as he went behind the desk again to set the picture back up. Alex watched Bobby as he looked back and forth between the picture and Brewster's body. "What are you thinking?" she asked. "I…I think that the Devil has been here," he answered quietly. Alex's face lit up with understanding as she nodded her head. She said, "Guess David Brewster found out the hard way why you should never make a pact with the Devil."

**

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**

Tuesday, August 22  
Denim and Diamonds Gentlemen's Club, 3:39 p.m.

"Uncle Franco came by here about 2 weeks ago," Julie Reese said as she blew smoke from her grape flavored Swisher Sweet cigarillo. Bobby and Alex had found her standing outside of the club. "Did your uncle say why he was here?" Alex asked. Julie shook her head. "He didn't say, but I knew trouble was brewing when I saw Francisco walk in behind him. I told them both they had to get the hell outta here."

Bobby frowned slightly. "Why would you turn your uncle Franco down now when you've always helped him in the past?" he asked, giving her that trademark Goren stare. Julie chuckled at his attempt to intimidate her. "As crazy and stupid as it sounds, I love my Uncle Franco," she said. "I'd do anything I could for him. But if he's got Francisco with him, all bets are off. They are more dangerous together than apart." Alex was about to ask a question, but her phone rang. She excused herself to take the call, leaving her partner to continue the questioning.

* * *

"Do you know where they are now?" Bobby asked. Julie shook her head again. "The last time I saw Uncle Franco was 5 years ago," she said. "He and the dwarf both showed up at my house uninvited. I told them to get the hell out then, too. I moved a month after that visit." "Franco know where to find you?" "He knows to look for me here, but he doesn't know where I live. I have a P.O. box and my number's unlisted."

"Think real hard," Bobby said. "Can you think of any place they would go?" Julie thought for a few seconds. She said, "Mom told me once that Francisco's grandma left him a house in Long Island. I think her last name was the same as his, but she had a weird first name." Alex walked quickly back towards them. "Goren, let's go! We've got a situation!" Bobby told Julie thanks, then hurried off after Alex.

"Eames, what's the situation?" Bobby asked breathlessly, fastening his seatbelt. "The psycho Wonder Twins have shown up at DeMarco Anderson's home," she said as she flipped on the lights and siren, easing the SUV into oncoming traffic. "They're brandishing weapons and holding hostages." Bobby held onto the dashboard as Alex started increasing the SUV's speed.

* * *

"_Are all the children here somebody's…future?" Angel asked. Garvin shook his head. "No, not all of them," he replied. "Some are here waiting to be born and some are here like you, waiting to go back." She looked at all of the children on the playground. "How do you tell the difference?" she asked. He chuckled, shaking his head again. "You just feel it." "Stop laughing at me, Garvin," Angel said with a playful pout. "I just asked a simple question."_

_Garvin slid closer to Angel, putting a arm around her shoulders. "Nothing is ever simple with you, Heartbreaker," he said with a smile. She rolled her eyes and smiled. She turned her attention back to her children, who had gotten off of the merry-go-round and had started playing on the see-saw and swings. "Do you regret our decision to wait to have kids?" she asked softly. _

_Garvin gave Angel a small squeeze. "No, I don't," he said. "Us having kids while we were still in school and being on the road with the band? That would have been too much chaos. We made a wise decision to wait until we were in our 30s." Angel looked at him, a sad smile on her face. "Don't you ever be sad, Heartbreaker," he said, pinching the end of her nose which caused her to chuckle. "We had a good life." Angel chuckled again. "Thanks," she said._

_

* * *

_

Angel turned her attention to the playground. She noticed that her daughter had her head leaned to the side, looking at her. She laughed, recognizing the Goren lean. "They all will have the Goren lean," Garvin said. Angel stifled a laugh with her hand and said, "Of course they will."

_The little girl took off running towards Angel. She came to a sudden stop when she reached her mother, resting her small hands on Angel's knees. "You go bye-bye now, Mami?" she asked. Angel's eyes widen as she looked at Garvin. He nodded. "The littlest ones always know," he said. She looked back at her daughter and nodded slowly. She looked closely at her future child, trying to memorize her features._

"_You've got your daddy's nose," Angel said to herself. The little girl looked puzzled as she touched her nose. "This my nose, not Papi's," she said. Garvin and Angel both chuckled. She looked up at Angel and said, "Te amo, Mami" before taking off to join her siblings on the swings. Garvin stood up and held his hand out to a stunned Angel. She finally stood up and took his hand, letting him lead her back to the shoreline._

_Garvin gave Angel a big hug when they had reached the tree she had been sitting under. She looked around. "Am I leaving now? Right this minute?" she asked. "Soon," he said with a smile. He kissed her forehead and started walking away. Angel watched Garvin until she couldn't see him any more. Then she sat down under the tree, gazing at the clear water and waiting._

**

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Tuesday, August 22  
Home of the late DeMarco Anderson, 4:00 p.m.

There were police barricades and police officers holding back the group of spectators when Bobby and Alex arrived on the scene. Captain Ross came up to them when Alex shut off the SUV's engine. "Put these on and follow me," he barked, handing them each a bulletproof vest. "What's happened so far, Captain?" Bobby asked as he and Alex caught up with Ross at one of the squad cars. "Neighbors reported seeing Eric and Eden Anderson pull up in that blue Mitsubishi parked over there," Ross said, pointing. "As soon as they stepped out of the car, they started shooting.

"Do we know how many hostages are in there now?" Alex asked. Ross shook his head. "One of the neighbors, Mr. Hurston, said a lot of Anderson's family members have been going in and out of this place all day long loading stuff into their cars and a U-Haul truck. SWAT's on the way." The crowd let out a collective scream and all police officers ducked when 4 shots were heard being fired from inside of the house.

"Something's happening!" a female police officer shouted when the front door was flung open. All of the NYPD force took aim at the door, pointing their guns and getting ready to fire when the screen door was thrown open. "Oh, my God!" Ross gasped. "It's a little girl!" Alex and Bobby stared in horror as Celena Anderson ran onto the porch, looking wildly about. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" Ross yelled. "She's unarmed!"

* * *

Celena covered her head as a bullet whizzed by her. Bobby came from behind the squad car. "Celena! Run!" he screamed. She wasted no time in jumping off the porch and heading towards him. She threw herself into Bobby's arms as he met her half way. "I've got you, sweetie," he said calmly as he picked her up. He pulled his hand away from her shoulder, muttering "Oh, my God" at the sight of blood.

"She's been hit!" Bobby snapped when he reached the closest ambulance, setting her down on the stretcher. "They've got guns! They've got guns!" she said repeated hysterically. Bobby held her hand and stroked her hair, trying to calm her down while the paramedics worked around him. Alex walked up to Celena and squeezed her hand. "Celena, can you tell us who else is in the house besides Eric and Eden?" she asked. Celena took a deep breath behind the oxygen mask she was wearing. "Mama, Auntie Lynette, Granny and Pops," she said. "Granny and Pops?" Bobby said. "You mean Mary Frances and Albert?" She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly.

"Uncle Eric shot Pops in the leg and pushed Auntie Lynette down. She hit her head. Auntie Eden keeps shooting at Mama and arguing with her," Celena said through her tears. "Detectives, we gotta go now!" one of the paramedics snapped. Bobby quickly kissed her forehead and said, "Don't worry, Celena. We'll save everybody." She desperately grabbed at him and Alex as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance.

* * *

Alex saw the hell bent look in Bobby's eyes when they went back to report to Ross. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. He just looked at her without saying a word. "Oh, shit!" she muttered. _"The things you will go through with your partner,"_ she thought to herself. "What did the little girl tell you?" Ross asked. Alex quickly repeated Celena's story while Bobby checked his weapon.

"Where do you two think you're going?!" Ross snapped when Alex and Bobby turned away from him and headed towards the house. As he was asking his question, Eden strolled out onto the porch, waving a .45 around. Bobby pointed with his head. "We're going to catch the Queen Bitch," he said. "SWAT will be here in 5 minutes! Wait for them!" the captain barked. Alex and Bobby looked at each other before turning to look at Ross.

Ross could see the determined look in his detectives' faces. He shook his head, knowing Bobby and Alex would defy him anyway. Reluctantly, he gave in. He shook an index finger at them, saying, "Don't think for one minute that this John Wayne stunt won't go into my report AND your records. Be careful." Alex and Bobby both nodded and took off for the back of the house.

Ross pulled out a bullhorn and stepped out from behind the squad car. "Ms. Anderson, I'm Captain Danny Ross, Major Case Squad. I'd like to have a word with you." "I don't have anything to say to you or any of you fucking bastards!" Eden said. "I had the situation under control until somebody went and snitched like a little bitch. Y'all just need to leave and get outta my face!" "Ms. Anderson, I'm afraid we can't do that. We just want a peaceful resolution to this situation." "Fuck that!" she said with a sneer. "I'm the Queen Bitch and I run things! I'm taking back what's rightfully mine!"

* * *

While Ross had Eden distracted, Alex and Bobby managed to sneak into the house through the kitchen. They both peeked around the corner. He saw Eric shakily point his gun at Sasha and Lynnette. They were both on the floor, Sasha cradling Lynnette's head in her lap. Mary Frances was tending to Albert, who was lying on the couch. She was applying pressure to his calf. "I can't believe you shot your own daddy," Sasha said in disgust.

Eric aimed the gun directly at her nose. "You shut the fuck up! I told you it was an accident! He ain't my daddy anyway." Lynnette looked at Eric as if he had lost his mind. "Uncle Albert raised us like we were his own kids. He even adopted us," she said. "You are such an ungrateful jackass!" Eric pointed the gun at Lynnette. "I could never stand you," he spat. "I should go ahead and put you out of your misery." "Go ahead and do it, Eric. My ghost will come back and kick your ass!" "Y'all quit fighting," Albert said weakly. "I can't stand to see family fight."

Bobby looked back at Alex. "His hands are shaky," he said. She nodded. "You aim high. I'll aim low," she said. Bobby nodded as he followed his partner. "Hello, Eric," Alex quietly said as she emerged from her hiding place. Eric swung around, fumbling with the gun. He was trying to take aim at her, but couldn't because Bobby had come out and put the muzzle of his gun into Eric's face. "Don't give me a reason, Eric," he said, "I've had a very bad day."

* * *

Alex took Eric's gun away from him as Bobby wrestled him to the ground. She pulled out her handcuffs and placed them on his wrists. "You got him?" Bobby asked. She nodded. Alex began looking the hostages over while Bobby went to the front door. He placed his back against the wall and peeked around. Captain Ross still had Eden's attention directed away from the house.

Bobby took a deep breath before he quietly opened the screen door and slipped out on the porch without making a sound. "Captain Ross, you and all of the NYPD force need to go fuck yourselves!" Eden yelled. "I'm done talking to you, you son of a bitch!" She turned on her heel to head back into the house, but she was surprised to see Bobby standing there, pointing his gun at her. "Oh, Eden, the feeling's mutual," he said as he took her gun away.

"Clear!" Bobby said as he stepped away from Eden. 2 police officers rushed up the stairs, wrestling her to the ground and handcuffing her. As they helped her to her feet, Eden spit at Bobby. "Go to hell!" she said. Bobby looked at her calmly, raised an eyebrow and said, "You first."


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's notes: Whew! I thought I'd never find the time to get this chapter posted. LOL Luckily I did. As always, thanks to everyone who has taken time to read and/or review. LO:CI and it characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; i'm just borrowing them for a while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read and enjoy. :o)**

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Tuesday, August 22  
Saint Joseph Hospital  
Celena Anderson's room, 7:00 p.m

"Detective Eames! Detective Goren!" Celena exclaimed as Bobby and Alex walked into her room. She quickly jumped off the bed and ran to Alex, almost knocking her over as she gave her a hug. "Hi, Celena," Alex said with a smile. "You okay?" Celena looked at her and nodded. Bobby held out a stuffed white rabbit with a pink bow tied around its neck to Celena. "This is for you," he said. (After the 2 detectives had finished their paperwork, Alex had informed Captain Ross that they wanted to go to the hospital to visit the psycho twins' former hostages. He nodded and said, "Eden and Eric Anderson can wait a little while longer.")

Celena's eyes lit up as she took the rabbit from Bobby. She hugged it tightly to her chest, then put her arms around Bobby's waist, squeezing him as tightly as she could. He squeezed her back. She looked up at him and said, "Muchas gracias." He smiled and said, "De nada." Sasha sighed heavily as she patted the bed. "Mamacita, come get back in bed," she said. "You know you're not suppose to be out of bed until tomorrow." Alex and Bobby followed Celena as she went to get into bed.

"Do you have any little girls?" Celena asked Alex. She shook her head. "I have 6 nieces though," she said. Celena asked the same question of Bobby. He smiled as he shook his head. "I have a goddaughter named Courtney. She's 10." "Do you think I can meet them all someday?" "I think that can be arranged," Alex said. Sasha kissed Celena's forehead as she gently pushed on her shoulder to make her lie down. "Get some rest, Celena. I'll be right back." Alex and Bobby told Celena good night before turning around to follow Sasha out of the door.

* * *

Sasha leaned against the wall, wiping a couple of tears off her face. "I want to thank you both for everything you've done," she said quietly. "I think I would have lost my mind if anything worse had happened to Celena. It's bad enough DeMarco's gone, but losing him and her…I can't even wrap my mind around it." Bobby squeezed her shoulder and said, "We were just doing our job." She just nodded her head. "I know. I won't ever forget this."

Sasha pointed down the hall and said, "Lynnette and Mr. Albert are down the hall, sharing a room., fourth door on the left. Lynnette put up a fuss until she was in the same room with her daddy." Bobby and Alex both nodded. They shook hands with Sasha, then headed down the hall.

* * *

When they entered the room that Sasha had pointed out to them, Alex and Bobby found Lynnette and Albert asleep. Lynnette's husband David was sitting in a chair, holding her hand. He stood up and walked over to the detectives. He shook each of their hands and said in a low voice, "Mama said you guys came in and saved the day. Thank you very much." "We were just doing our job," Alex said. He shook his head. "You did more than that. You saved my family," he said.

Mary Frances came out of the bathroom. She smiled when she saw Bobby and Alex. David gave her a kiss on the cheek before he went to sit back down. "I'll be right back, David," she said quietly as she headed out of the door with Bobby and Alex in tow. "How are Lynnette and Mr. Anderson?" Bobby asked when they were in the hallway. "They're fine," Mary Frances replied. "They removed the bullet from Albert's leg. He should be able to go home in a few days. Lynnette's getting some much needed sleep. I don't think she's slept since DeMarco died."

"What's going to happen to Eden and Eric?" Mary Frances asked. "They'll be charged with kidnapping, trespassing, assault with a deadly weapon for starters," Alex said. Mary Frances nodded and sighed. "Ever since their parents died, it seemed like DeMarco was the only one who could handle them twins, make them behave. And now that he's dead, it's like they've snapped and gone crazy."

Mary Frances sighed again and shook her head. "You'll let us know what we need to do, won't you?" she asked. "We will," Bobby answered. "I need to get back to the rest of my family. Thank you both for saving us." Mary Frances walked away with tears in her eyes before Bobby and Alex had a chance to say anything else to her.

"I feel sorry for her," Alex said as she and Bobby headed down the hall towards the elevators. He nodded. "Me, too. The Wonder Twins…have broken their mother's heart." Alex pressed the down button. "Let's grab a quick bite before we head back to the office," she said. "I think I need to have a full stomach before dealing with the twins." "Sure," Bobby said. "My treat."

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, August 22  
Major Case Squad Room  
Interrogation Roon One, 9:29 p.m.

"I'm advising Mr. Anderson to remain silent, Detectives," the female attorney said when Bobby and Alex walked into the room. "He has nothing to say to you." "That's fine, Ms. Reardon," Alex said as she sat down across from her. Bobby placed his binder on the table next to Alex, then leaned with his back against the wall across from Eric, who had a smug look on his face. Bobby narrowed his eyes a little at him, noticing the bandage on Eric's hand.

"Mr. Anderson there can keep his trap shut all he wants," Alex said. "A picture is worth a thousand words." She pulled out the accident scene photos from Angel's accident and the photos of him and the others ditching the Hummer from a folder and spread them out on the table. She also laid a blown up picture of Angel, taken from her driver's license, on the table. Eric stared at a picture of him and Eden in disbelief. He glanced sideways at his attorney, who was looking at the pictures intently.

"What are these photos of?" Ms. Reardon asked. "Oh, didn't your client tell you?" Alex asked innocently. "Along with the charges he's facing for this afternoon's events, he's also going to be charged with the attempted murder of Angelica Pierson-St. John." She held Angel's picture up towards Eric. The smug look he had on his face faded away quickly. "You remember her, don't ya, Eric? You and your merry band of psychos shooting at her and ramming her car with the stolen Hummer you were taking a joyride in?"

* * *

Ms. Reardon's mouth fell open as she stared at Eric. "You didn't tell me anything about this!" she snapped. "Shut up and be cool!" Eric hissed. "He probably thought we wouldn't tie him to this accident so quickly. That's why he didn't tell you," Bobby said. He pointed at Eric's bandaged hand. "How did you hurt your hand, Eric?" "None of your fucking business, pig!" Bobby just chuckled. As he stepped towards the table, he said, "Eames, I think Frankie Devil caught Eric here with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar." Bobby quickly yanked the bandage off of Eric's hand, exposing the devil face brand on the back of his hand.

Bobby opened his binder, pulling out the small evidence bag that held the jump drive. He dangled it in Eric's face. "Look at what I have here. The cookie from that cookie jar." Eric's eyes widen in fear as the color drained from his face. Without thinking, he tried to snatch the bag out of Bobby's hand, but Bobby pulled it back out of his reach. "You gotta give that back to Frankie Devil," Eric said. "He'll kill you, anybody who's been near that damn thing."

Bobby placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, locking eyes with Eric. "You should have thought of that BEFORE you stole it from Frank Devlin," Bobby said in a low voice. He continued staring into Eric's eyes for a couple of minutes before he stood up straight, shaking his head. "No, you didn't steal it," Bobby said. "You don't have the…guts nor the balls to do anything like that. No, that's something your twin would do."

* * *

"You leave Eden out of this!" Eric hissed. "Leave Eden out of it?!" Alex asked. She picked up a picture of him and Eden. "How in the hell can we leave her out of it when she's got both of you knee deep in this mess?! What happened, Eric? Was your twin about to leave you out in the cold? Making a move up the criminal ladder without you weighing her down?" Eric slapped the table. "You just shut up! Just shut up! I did what I did to protect Eden!"

"What did you do for Eden?" Bobby asked. "He's not going to answer that, Detective Goren!" Ms. Reardon said. She turned to Eric and said, "As your lawyer, I'm strongly advising you to remain SILENT!" Eric looked at Alex and Bobby, his jaw muscles twitching. He scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's doesn't matter anyway," he said. "We're all dead. It's just a matter of time before Frankie Devil gets pissed off enough to start taking heads." A sly smirk lit up Eric's face. "I know he's going to enjoy roasting 2 pigs over an open fire." Ms. Reardon rolled her eyes and sighed.

Bobby sat down across from Eric. "What did you do for Eden?" he asked. Eric laughed. "You sure are persistent, Mr. Detective," he said. He leaned back in the chair, arms folded across his chest. "Brewster had this crazy notion going on in his head that he could get rich just like Frankie Devil. All he needed was a list of Frankie's buyers and sellers. So, he told Eden to steal that damn jump drive from him. She did and gave it to Brewster. I stole it from him and gave it to DeMarco. Me and him were gonna return Frankie Devil's property to him, in exchange for sparing Eden's life and cutting us in on a deal. We was trying to save her life."

* * *

"Your brother lost his life instead," Bobby said as he shook his head. "You poor sucker," Alex said. "I'm NOT a sucker," Eric said. "I'm a man who takes care of business and his family." Bobby and Alex both stood up and walked out as an uniformed police officer came into the room to take Eric into custody.

"One twin down, one to go," Captain Ross said as Bobby and Alex entered the observation area. He turned his attention from Eric to Eden. She was sitting in the other interrogation room, looking around. "Has she asked for a lawyer?" Alex asked. Ross shook his head. "She made a phone call to David Brewster. She's quote, unquote very confident that he will show up to get her out." Alex and Bobby looked at each other. "Shall we go and burst her confidence bubble?" Bobby asked. "Of course," Alex replied as she followed her partner out of the door.

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, August 22  
Major Case Squad Room  
Interrogation Room Two, 10:35 p.m.

Eden narrowed her eyes as Alex and Bobby walked into the room. "Well, if it isn't Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber," she said as the detectives sat down, Bobby sitting directly across from her. He leaned back in the chair, arms folded across his chest. He just stared at Eden. She copied his pose, a look of disdain on her face. Eden and Bobby stared at each other for a few minutes, not saying a word. Finally, Eden sighed dramatically and said, "I'm not scared of you, you son of a bitch! You're nothing but a punk ass piece of shit!" Alex mentally rolled her eyes. _"Here we go,"_ she thought as she prepared herself for what was about to happen.

At first, Bobby snickered, a faint smile on his lips. Then the snicker turned into a full on hearty laugh that ran through his whole body. He shook his index finger at Eden as he continued his unbridled laughing. Without any warning, while he was still laughing, Bobby quickly jumped up out of his seat, knocking the chair over and slamming his hand down hard on the table, the noise echoing throughout the whole room. Eden flinched with fear at Bobby's sudden movements. He leaned forward toward Eden, his nose practically touching hers, his face devoid of expression. In a low menacing voice, Bobby said, "I'm the son of a bitch that's about to ruin your life."

Eden followed Bobby with her eyes as he straightened himself up. He reached into his binder, pulling out a file folder. He pulled 2 pictures out of the folder and slapped them on the table. One of the pictures was a surveillance photo of Frank Devlin, the other was the picture of Eden and Brewster that had been on Brewster's desk. "David Brewster always admired the things that Frank Devlin had: women, power, and wealth. So, he decided that in order to get power and wealth, he would have the woman he stole, that's you, steal something very valuable from Devlin," Bobby said as he pointed at the pictures and started walking around the table.

* * *

Bobby stopped behind Eden, leaning down to her left side. "Which you more than willingly did for him," he continued. "After all, you figured that your charming personality and insatiable sex drive would be more than enough to keep Devlin from figuring out that you stole his jump drive from him." He took out the jump drive and dangled it in front of her face. Eden's mouth dropped open. Bobby tossed the evidence bag on the table and then stood up and pulled out crime scene photos of DeMarco and a close up of the devil face brand on his hand. He laid them on the table over Eden's shoulder, tapping at them. Her eyes widen in surprise. She didn't know about the brand. "You forgot that Frank Devlin is not easily played for a fool," Bobby said.

"Frank Devlin thought that your brother DeMarco stole his property, so he had him killed to get it back," Alex said. Bobby leaned down and whispered in Eden's ear, "You and your actions…got your brother killed for nothing. He died in your place." Eden shook her head. "I had nothing to do with Dee's death. Frankie didn't kill him. He was killed by some other drug dealer." Alex just shook her head as Bobby handed her some pictures from the file. "No, see, that's not right, Eden," she said as she laid the pictures from Angel's accident and of Angel on the table. Then she laid the pictures of the stolen Hummer and its occupants down. "Devlin figured that you and Eric were the ones who stole from him," Alex said, "so, he had both of you branded as punishment." She pointed at Eden's bandaged hand with her head.

"But to save your own hide, you told Devlin somebody else had the jump drive," Bobby said. He pointed at Angel's picture. "You figured you'd get an innocent woman killed just so that you could buy some time to find out where DeMarco had hidden the jump drive, which your OWN TWIN stole from Brewster!" Eden shook her head and scowled. "That stupid, stupid motherfucker," she hissed under her breath. Bobby leaned down to Eden's right side. "Do you know WHY Eric took that jump drive from Brewster?" he asked. She looked at him and said with a smirk, "I really don't give a damn!"

* * *

Bobby laughed again as he walked back around the table to stand across from Eden. "You should give a damn!" he said. "Eric took that jump drive so that he could give it back to Devlin, so that Devlin wouldn't KILL you for stealing it in the first place. For once in his life, your twin thought about the consequences of taking something from a dangerous man. Of course, it's too late now because all hell is starting to break loose!"

Bobby slapped the crime scene photos of David Brewster and Mack Lowell onto the table. Eden gasped in horror as she stared at the photo of Brewster. Tears started falling from her eyes. For once in her life, Eden actually felt regret and scared of something bad she had done. Bobby grunted as he looked at her. He felt no sympathy for her. When Eden looked up at him, he said, "Karma's a bitch when it's kicking you in the ass, ain't it?"

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, August 23  
Residence of Frank Devlin, 1:47 p.m.

After having arrested and charging Eric and Eden Anderson for kidnapping and attempted murder, among other charges and questioning them on Franco Holland's and Francisco Torres' whereabouts, Bobby and Alex resumed following the leads they had gathered. Bobby looked up from the report he was writing and said to Alex, "Let's go visit the Devil." Alex looked away from the computer screen and nodded.

Vinnie crossed his arms over his chest when he opened the front door of Devlin's home, standing still like a statue when Alex and Bobby showed their badges to him. "Mr. Devlin ain't got time to speak with no fucking cops," he said in a deadpan voice. "Perhaps Mr. Devlin would like to make some time for us down at the police station," Alex said. "We'd be more than happy to oblige him while taking him away in a pair of handcuffs."

"Let them in, Vinnie," Frank Devlin said from inside. Vinnie sighed as he stood aside to let the detectives in. "You'll have to forgive Vinnie and his manners," Devlin said after he took a puff of his cigar. "He's just doing what I pay him very handsomely to do." He looked at Alex with a mischievous glint in his eye as she and Bobby approached him. Alex rolled her eyes. "What can I do for you, Detective…?" "Eames," she replied. "This is my partner, Detective Goren."

* * *

Devlin puffed on his cigar again. He looked Bobby up and down through the smoke, trying to size him up. "You know if you ever need a better paying job, Detective Goren, you can come work for me," he said. "I could use a guy of your size and stature to keep the wolves at bay." Bobby smirked. "I'll keep that in mind the next time I go job hunting," he said. Devlin shrugged as he started walking towards the living room.

"Mr. Devlin, we're investigating the murder of your lawyer, David Brewster, and one of his associates, Mack Lowell," Alex said. "Do you mind telling us where you were Monday night around 11:30?" Devlin stopped and stood in the middle of the floor. "I was on my way out to have dinner with a lady friend of mine," he replied. His eyes followed Bobby, who was going around the room touching and picking up things.

Alex said, "Don't mind my partner, Mr. Devlin. He's a little A.D.D. We'd like to have the name of your lady friend so that we check out your alibi." Devlin chuckled as he shook his head. "I'll give you the name of the restaurant we went to, but not her name. She's a married woman," he said. "I won't put her in the middle of this…unpleasant situation." "Things will go a lot more smoother for you, Mr. Devlin, if you'd cooperate with us." "Sorry, Detective Eames. I'm not giving you her name."

"You don't seem too upset by Mr. Brewster's death," Bobby said. "Why is that?" Devlin turned his head to look at Bobby. "I've always known it would be a matter of time before Davey got caught up something that would cost him his life." A contemplative look crossed Bobby's face as he walked to stand next to the coffee table that had a laptop sitting on it. "Hmm. So, you wouldn't be bothered by the fact that we found your fingerprints at the crime scene?" he asked. Devlin sighed heavily. "Well, of course you'd find my fingerprints at his office. He was my lawyer after all."

* * *

"How do you know we're talking about Brewster's office?" Alex asked. "Contrary to what you might think of me, Detective," Devlin said, "I can read a newspaper or a book without having pictures in it." Bobby said, "Check this out, Eames." He swooped the laptop off of the coffee table, flipping it over and over as if he was admiring it. "Mr. Devlin has the latest laptop like me. It even has a place where you can insert a jump drive." He pointed to one of the USB ports in the back.

Devlin quickly walked over to where Bobby was standing and tried to take the laptop out of his hands, but he held onto it tightly. Devlin and Bobby got into a mini tug of war match. "You don't have a jump drive in here. Are you…missing a jump drive, Mr. Devlin?" Frank's nostrils flared at the words 'jump drive.' "No, I'm not missing a jump drive," he hissed through his teeth. "But I'd appreciate you letting go of this expensive piece of technology, you jackass!" He and Bobby continued their little tug of war game with the laptop for a few more seconds before Bobby let go unexpectedly, causing Devlin to almost lose his balance and fall down.

Bobby walked to stand next to Alex, who had covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Thank you for talking to us, Mr. Devlin," she said. "We'll be back to talk to you again soon. We'll let ourselves out." Devlin glared at the detectives as they walked away from him. As they were walking to their SUV, Alex looked up at Bobby, shaking her head. "If he had fell, you would have been in trouble," she said. He shrugged. "What else is new?" he asked. "Well, what did you learn from that?" "His nostrils flared when I said 'jump drive.' I just learned that the Devil is pissed off." "Yeah, he is. You've got to learn not to play with fire."

**

* * *

**

Wednesday, August 23  
Bobby's Apartment, 10:00 p.m.

Bobby sighed heavily as he walked towards his apartment. He had barely slept there for the past couple of days. Captain Ross finally told him and Alex both to go home and get some rest. He decided that he would pick up a fresh change of clothes and go sit at the hospital with Angel. He knew Janelle and Drew would already be there. When he walked in, Rob was sitting on one end of the couch. Lizette, Rob's ex-wife, was sitting on the other end of the couch, her arms wrapped around Courtney, who was crying.

"Uncle Bobby!" Courtney exclaimed. She jumped off the couch and ran to Bobby, throwing her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her. "What's wrong, Courtney?" he asked. He looked at Rob and Lizette for answers, but they shook their heads. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me." Courtney's crying subsided a little as she looked up at her godfather. "Daddy says that Auntie Angel in the hospital, but we can't see her! Why, Uncle Bobby?! Is she dying? I want to see her!"

"Oh, sweetie," Bobby muttered as he bent down to pick her up. Courtney wrapped her arms and legs around him as she started crying again. He looked at her parents and silently mouthed "I've got this." He squeezed her and rubbed her back as he walked off to the spare bedroom. He kissed her forehead as he set her down on the bed. He sat down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. Bobby reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. He handed it to Courtney.

* * *

Courtney looked at Bobby, sniffing. "Where's Auntie Angel, Uncle Bobby? Why is she in the hospital? Why can't I go see her? Is it because I'm too little?" He smiled as he squeezed her shoulders. "Your aunt Angel is…is in the hospital because some very bad people hurt her," he said softly. Courtney opened her mouth to say something, but Bobby laid his index finger on her lips. "No, she's not dying. No one's allowed to see her because she's being protected. I'm trying to keep the bad people from hurting her again. I know she'd love to see you, but she can't have any visitors until me and Alex catch these people."

"When are you going to catch these bad people, Uncle Bobby?" Courtney asked. "Auntie Angel is probably lonely because she can't see anybody." "I'm actually going to go see her tonight after I pack a few things," he said. "Please, Uncle Bobby. Take me with you. I'll be real quiet and real careful." She looked up at him with the biggest pair of doe eyes he had ever seen. Bobby sighed as he shook his head, putting his other arm her and giving her a squeeze. He laid his cheek on top of her head. "Sweetheart, I would take you with me in a heartbeat if I could, but I can't. If the bad people come back, it would break my heart knowing that 2 of my favorite girls were in danger."

Bobby pulled back and said, "Courtney, stand up and look at me." She sighed as she got off the bed and stood in front of him. She looked down at the ground. He softly chuckled as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Please, look at me, Pussy Cat," he said. A little smile spread on her lips as she lifted her head at the nickname Rob called her sometimes. Bobby smiled and squeezed her shoulders. "When everything is over and Angel is feeling up to it, you can come and spend a weekend with us. The 3 of us will hang out together," he said. Courtney looked at him for a long time. "You promise?" she asked. Bobby crossed his heart with an index finger. "I promise."

Courtney flashed Bobby a big smile before she went to crawl in his lap. He laughed lightly as he wrapped his arms around her, rocking his body back and forth slowly. He hadn't rocked her to sleep since she was 5. "Sing the song, Uncle Bobby." He gave her a squeeze and said, "How about I hum the song?" "Okay." Bobby softly hummed "Hush Little Baby." Within a few minutes, Courtney was fast asleep.

* * *

Bobby stood up and carefully laid Courtney down on the bed. He kissed her on the temple before he headed out to the living room. "She's asleep," he said. Lizette got up and gave him a hug. "I should have known that if Rob or I couldn't console her, Uncle Bobby could. You still got it," she said. "It…it was nothing," Bobby said with a shrug. "It's just good practice for when he and Angel have children of their own," Rob said with a smile. Bobby rolled his eyes while Lizette went to sit down.

"I'm going to the hospital to stay with Angel for a while," Bobby said. "You need us to do anything?" Lizette asked. He shook his head. Then he let out a heavy sigh and said, "I'm going to pack some things and then head to the hospital. Lizette, you and Courtney are welcome to stay here as long as you like." Lizette smiled. "Thank you, Bobby. I hope Angel is okay. Rob showed me some footage from your birthday party. She's very beautiful. I know she's made quite an impression on Courtney." Bobby smiled and nodded his head before turning around and walking out of the living room.

"You think we should go with him?" Lizette asked Rob. He shook his head. "I think Bobby needs to spend some time alone with Angel right now. He hasn't been at the hospital since the accident. He needs to get his head on straight and his thoughts and emotions in check." "Why do you say that?" Rob inhaled and exhaled deeply before saying, "I get the feeling that if he and Alex don't catch these bad guys soon, Bobby may do something foolish to keep Angel alive."

**

* * *

**

Thursday, August 24  
Hudson Medical Center  
Angel's room, 12:15 a.m.

"Anything to report, Officer Darren?" Bobby asked the uniformed police officer that was sitting outside of Angel's room. "Nothing unusual, Detective," he said. "The Spencers have been here since 9:00 p.m. Dr. Morton and one of the nurses came in to check on your wife. They left about 20 minutes ago." Bobby nodded. "I'll stay here. Why don't you take a break? Get something to eat?" Officer Darren smiled and said, "Thanks, Detective Goren. I'll stick my head inside when I get back."

Bobby shook his head as he watched Officer Darren go down the hall to the elevators. Ever since officers had been assigned to protect Angel, they all assumed that she was his wife because of the fake name she had been given. He didn't bother to correct them. _"What's the point? They wouldn't believe me anyway,"_ he thought as he opened the door to Angel's room.

* * *

Bobby walked in, surveying the room. The only light on was the one over Angel's bed. He quietly closed the door behind him, trying not to disturb Janelle and Drew, who were asleep in a spooning position on a roll away bed. Bobby hung his suit carrier on the door hanger that was attached to the bathroom door and placed his duffel bag in a chair. He picked up another chair and placed it by Angel's bedside. "Hey, Beautiful," he said quietly as he sat down.

Bobby took Angel's hand in his bandaged hand and squeezed. He half heartedly expected her to squeeze back, but she didn't. He softly stroked her hair as he looked at her. "I'm sorry I haven't been here lately," he whispered. "I've been chasing bad guys. Alex and I caught the Wonder Twins. Now we just need to catch the rest of the bad guys so that you'll be safe." No answer. He sighed heavily. "Janelle called me today. She said you had a big day today. That you got a sponge bath, your hair combed and that she put some shorts and socks on you."

Still no answer. Bobby let go of Angel's hand and placed it on her stomach. "I…I…I want you to know something," he said. He stared at his hand on her stomach. "If you…you're not pregnant this time around, maybe we c-c-could try again if you want to." He turned to look at her face. "Am I wrong for wanting there to be a…a life inside you now? For wanting to have a family with you even though we haven't even talked about that or getting married yet?" He searched Angel's face for a reaction, but didn't see anything.

Bobby sighed heavily as he stood up, kissed Angel's forehead before laying his forehead against hers. "You don't have to say anything. I know I'm wrong. I shouldn't assume you want the same thing. I'm sorry." He kissed her forehead again, then picked up the chair and placed it against the wall. He sat down in the reclining lounge chair that was placed sideways against the wall. He sat back in the chair, leaning his head against the wall as he looked at Angel. "I'm right here, Angel," he said quietly. "I'm not going anywhere." A small smile crossed his lips as he continued to watch over his Angel.

**

* * *

**

Thursday, August 24  
Hudson Medical Center  
Angel's room, 3:45 a.m.

Angel slowly opened her eyes. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the light that was above her. _"Where am I?" _she thought to herself. She moved her hand to touch the bandage that was on her forehead. _"Oh, okay. What's up the bandage on my head?" _She lowered her hand to look at her surroundings. Angel slowly raised herself up, grimacing at the pain that went through her head. _"I'm in the hospital because I hit my head on a sink." _Angel continuing looking around. To one side of her, she saw Janelle and Drew sleeping on the roll away bed. Tears formed in her eyes as she covered her mouth with both hands and began rocking back and forth. _"They're safe! They're safe! Thank you, Lord, for their safety," _she screamed in her mind.

Angel continued rocking back and forth with her mouth covered and crying silently. She glanced down at the plastic medical i.d. bracelet she was wearing. She moved her hand away from her mouth to look at it. _"Laurel Goren? That's not my name. Why do I have this fake name?" _Then it finally dawned on her. _"Idiot! It's for protection." _"Oh," she said softly out loud. Angel looked to her other side and saw Bobby sleeping in the reclining lounge chair. He had the one arm with the bandaged hand over his head; the other arm laid across his belly.

"_Bobby's hurt!" _Angel thought. _"How did he get hurt?!" _She stared at him for a few minutes, noticing the troubled look on his face. _"He looks unhappy, troubled. There must be some trouble coming." _Angel took a deep breath to compose herself. She threw back the covers she had been laying under. She moved her legs to place her feet on the floor. Although, she knew she'd regret it, Angel grabbed a hold of the I.V. pole with both hands, pulling herself off of the bed. She held onto it for dear life as she tried to get steady on her feet. _"Gotta know why he's hurt."_

* * *

Taking very slow, deliberate steps with the aid of the I.V, pole, Angel made it over to Bobby. She quietly started crying again as she lightly ran her fingers across his forehead, holding onto the pole with the other hand. She hummed a soft and soothing tune as she tried to make whatever was bothering Bobby go away. He frowned as he opened his eyes. Bobby gasped a little at seeing Angel standing over him.

"How did you hurt your hand?" Angel asked in a raspy voice. She backed up a tiny bit as Bobby got up. He grasped her lightly by the shoulders. "You should be in bed," he said softly. She held onto the I.V. pole with both hands and shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. "How did you hurt your hand?" she quietly pleaded. "I…I…smashed a mirror with my fist," Bobby answered. She pointed a finger at him. "There's trouble coming. I saw it in your face when you were asleep."

Bobby carefully pried Angel's hands off the pole. He helped her put her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her as tightly as he could without causing her any pain. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling good about holding Angel in his arms again. "No se preocupe, querida," he said softly. "Whatever trouble is coming, I swear I will protect you with my very life."


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Notes: Hapy belated Halloween, everyone. LOL Better late than never, right? As always I want to thank everyone who has read and/or reviewed this story. I'm always grateful and appreciative. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just borrowing them for while. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

_**

* * *

**_

Two years ago  
2nd Sunday in August  
Bobby's Apartment

"_Do you have everything?" Bobby asked. Angel made one more sweep of the spare bedroom before she looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. I think I have everything." He smiled as he grabbed the handle of her suitcase and walked out of the bedroom, rolling the large case behind him. "Bobby, you don't have to pull that thing. I can do that." He stopped in front of the door, shaking his head as he turned around to look at Angel. "I've got this. You just lock the door," he said with smile._

_It was 12:55 p.m. Bobby and Angel were headed to the airport. Angel was leaving New York City to head back home to Nashville, TN after having been there since April. Her flight didn't take off until 4:45 that afternoon, but they were leaving early so that she could get through security without too much of a hassle._

_Angel rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever, dude," she said with a laugh as she followed Bobby out of the apartment. She closed the door behind her, locking it with the key he had given her. She smiled up at him as she dropped the key into his open hand. "You sure you don't want to keep it?" he asked teasingly as they walked down the hall towards the elevator. She laughed and shook her head. "I'm sure. Thank you." Bobby pushed the down button and the elevator doors instantly opened. He hung back a little to let Angel step through the doors first before he got on. They rode down to the first floor in comfortable silence._

_

* * *

_

The silence continued in the cab ride to the airport. Angel was staring out of the window. Bobby was looking out of the window as well, but he would sneak glances at her every now and then. "Did you have a good time?" he asked softly. She nodded her head as she turned to look at him. "Despite the fact that T.J. died, I had a great time being here. Being with you," she said. Bobby smiled as he put his arm around Angel's shoulders. She sighed contently as she put her head on his shoulder.

_Bobby and Angel maintained their comfortable silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. When they reached the airport, Angel gave the money to the cab driver while Bobby took her suitcase out of the trunk. He sighed heavily. "Why did you do that? I was going to pay for the cab," he said. She chuckled as they walked into the airport and got into the baggage check-in line. "I know you're an old fashioned gentleman and all, but I don't mind paying my own way, you know," she said. Bobby just grunted as he placed the suitcase on the scale._

_Bobby walked with Angel all the way to the beginning of the security line. She turned around and smiled at him. "This is it," she said. He nodded. "Yeah, it is," he said. She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the ground. When she looked back up at him, Angel had tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you, Bobby." A small smile spread across Bobby's face as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Angel." They held onto each other for a few minutes. Bobby was the first one to let go._

"_You've got my e-mail address and cell phone number, right?" Bobby asked. Angel nodded as she wiped away her tears. "You've got my info, too?" she asked. He nodded. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before taking a step back. Angel smiled, then turned around to enter the security line. "Call me when you get there," Bobby said. Angel looked back and said, "I will. Send me an e-mail sometime." "I will." _

_Bobby stood there and watched Angel as she made her way through security. When she had finally gone all the way through the line, she turned around and waved at him. He waved back, then turned around and walked out of the airport. He sighed heavily as he got into a cab. He thought to himself, "I miss her already."_

**

* * *

**

Thursday, August 24  
Hudson Medical Center  
Angel's Room, 5:01 a.m.

"_That's what frightens me," _Angel thought to herself. _"You giving up your life for mine. I don't know if I can handle that."_ She held onto Bobby tighter, afraid that he would disappear if she let go. Bobby sensed that Angel was worried about something just by the small shift in her body. "Angel, look at me," he said softly. She flat out refused by shaking her head. She winced at the pain that that simple motion caused. Bobby sighed heavily as he squeezed her a little more tighter. "Please, sweetheart, don't be scared. You've got to trust me."

Angel pulled back a little to look up at Bobby, tears falling down her face. He smiled at her as he wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Do you trust me?" he asked. She slowly nodded and said, "With my life." He kissed her forehead and said, "Good. Let's get you back into bed." She let go of him and grabbed onto the I.V. pole. Bobby made a move as if he was going to pick Angel up, but she shook her head. "No. I'll walk," she said softly.

Angel managed very slowly to get herself turned around in the direction of her bed. Bobby was by her side as she took her first step in the long walk to the bed. "You should let me carry you to the bed," he said. She shook her head again. As they were walking to the bed, Janelle woke up. She sat up, yawning and stretching to her full 5 foot 9 inch frame. Her eyes widen in surprise when she saw Angel. She reached behind her and started shaking Drew. "Drew! Drew! Drew! She's awake. Baby Girl's awake!" Drew scowled as he sat up on the rollaway bed. A big smile broke out on his face when he saw Angel.

* * *

Angel stopped when she saw Drew and Janelle were awake. "Drew, go get the nurse," Janelle said as she stood up and went over to Angel. Drew just nodded, got up and went out the door. Tears were already falling down Janelle's cheeks when she reached her best friend. She wrapped her hands around Angel's hands. "You okay?" Janelle asked. Angel smiled and nodded, wincing again at the pain.

"Stop shaking your big ole watermelon head so much. Then you wouldn't be in so much pain," Janelle said teasingly as she got on the other side of Angel to help guide her towards the bed. Bobby snickered while Angel rolled her eyes. "Forget y'all," she said under her breath as she started walking. Drew and Faylene the nurse came walking through the door just as Bobby and Janelle had gotten Angel situated in the bed. They went to stand at the foot of the bed next to Drew while Faylene checked Angel's vitals. "You shouldn't have gotten out of bed," she said admonishingly. Angel just laid there in silence.

When Faylene had finished checking Angel's vitals, she motioned for Bobby, Drew and Janelle to come closer. Janelle and Drew stood on one side of the bed, Bobby on the other side next to the nurse. "Dr. Morton's making her rounds at Mercy General Hospital right now. She's got a couple of critical patients there. She hopes to be here within 2 to 3 hours," Faylene said. She looked down at Angel and smiled. "You are to stay put until Dr. Morton gets here." Then Faylene turned to look at Drew, Janelle and Bobby individually. "The 3 of you have 5 minutes to get out of here before I come back and kick you out. Mrs. Goren needs to rest." She smiled and then walked out of the door.

* * *

"Damn! And I thought I was bossy. That nurse has got me beat," Janelle said as she leaned down and kissed Angel's cheek. "She's just doing her job," Angel said. Drew stroked Angel's hair before he kissed her cheek. "We'll be back after work or sooner if Dr. Morton calls and tells us something's wrong," he said. Angel just nodded. Janelle looked at Bobby and said, "We'll give you a ride to work." "Thanks," he said. Drew handed Janelle her purse, then followed her out of the door.

Angel held up the arm that had the medical i.d. bracelet on it. "Laurel Goren? Your idea?" she asked. Bobby nodded. She just chuckled, then let out a yawn. "I'm a little worn out from all of this walking." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'll try to get back as soon as I can," he said. "Okay," she said with a smile. Angel closed her eyes. She was fast asleep by the time Bobby had finished gathering up his things. He smiled, kissed her cheek and walked out of the door.

**

* * *

**

Friday, August 25  
Residence of Frank James Devlin, 12:45 a.m.

Frank Devlin was dancing in the corner of his large party room, surrounded by 4 beautiful women when Vinnie walked up behind him. "I've got some important information for you, Mr. Devlin," Vinnie whispered into Frank's ear. Devlin looked up at Vinnie with a glare. "How important?" he snapped. "You should get your property back with this information," Vinnie replied. A small smile crept across Devlin's face. "Ladies, I've got some business to take care of," he said. They all protested as he kissed each one of them on the cheek and walked away.

Devlin shook hands with his party guests as he and Vinnie walked out of the room and headed towards the living room. When they got there, they found a young man about the same size and height as Vinnie standing in front of the TV watching a boxing match. "Teddy, my main man," Devlin said with a smile. "Hey, Mr. Devlin," Teddy, Vinnie's cousin, said as he shook Frank Devlin's hand.

"What do you have for me, Teddy?" Devlin asked. Teddy reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and handed it to Devlin. "I managed to find 3 hospitals that had 5 black women come through their emergency rooms around the timeframe you specified, Mr. Devlin," he said. Devlin nodded his head and rubbed at his chin as he read the list. "Anyway to know what their names are?" he asked. Teddy shook his head. "No, sir. The only way to get their names is to go to the hospitals and ask if they were admitted."

* * *

Devlin smiled. "I knew I could count on you, Teddy," he said. He looked at Vinnie and said, "Give your cousin here his reward. He earned every penny of it." "Yes, sir," Vinnie replied. He walked over to the Picasso reproduction print that was hanging on the wall, pushing it aside to reveal a wall safe. He opened it and pulled out 5 stacks of 100 dollar bills. He closed the safe, then walked over to Teddy and handed him the bundle of bills. Teddy's eyes widen in surprise. "Thanks, Mr. Devlin," he said in awe.

Devlin smiled. "Don't thank me, Teddy. You've been a big help," he said. "Teddy, go wait for me by the front door. I'll give you a ride back to your crib," Vinnie said. Teddy nodded. He thanked Devlin again, then headed towards the front door. As soon as Teddy was out of earshot, Devlin turned to Vinnie and said, "I want you to call that P.I. of mine, Easy Money. Tell him to get a picture of that fucking bitch from the accident and find out which one of these hospitals the police have her stashed at." He handed the paper to Vinnie, who put the paper inside of his jacket and walked away.

"Hey, Vinnie," Devlin said. Vinnie stopped and turned around. "Yes, Mr. Devlin?" "Tell Easy Money he's got an extra 500 Gs coming to him if he can find out what this bitch's real name is." Vinnie smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir, Mr. Devlin." He turned around and walked out. Frankie Devil laughed to himself as he rubbed his hands together and headed back to his party. He could practically smell Angel's blood on his hands.

**

* * *

**

Friday, August 25  
Major Case Squad Room  
Alex's and Bobby's Desks, 3:45 p.m.

"I think I may have found where Franco Holland and Francisco Torres have been hiding," Alex said as she walked back to her desk. She was coming from the fax machine. Bobby looked up and asked, "Where?" She gave him the piece of paper she held in her hand. "I asked my friend Gabby Ferguson in Property Records Division to do a search for houses owned by women with the last name Torres on Long Island. She sent me a list with 10 names. Check out the name of number 7." She went to her desk and dialed a number. "Hi, Kimberly. This is Detective Alex Eames, Major Case. Could you look up an address and tell me when the last bill was paid?" She gave the caller on the other end the address. "Sure, I can hold," Alex said.

Bobby quickly scanned the list. He pointed at the 7th name on the list. "Hezrietta Torres," he said. "Julie Reese said that Francisco Torres' grandmother had an unusual first name. That's about as unusual as it gets," he said. Alex nodded, then she spoke into the phone. "Yes, I'm still here." She scribbled on a piece of paper. "Thanks for the information, Kimberly. Bye." Alex hung up the phone, a smug look on her face. "What is it?" Bobby asked. "According to the records at ConEd, the power at the late Hezrietta Torres' home got turned back on 5 weeks ago," Alex replied. "Let's go get them," Bobby said. He got up and followed his partner to Captain Ross' office to tell him the news.

**

* * *

**

Friday, August 25  
Residence of Frank James Devlin, 4:00 p.m.

Devlin was sitting in his living room, typing on his laptop when Vinnie came into the room. "Mr. Devlin, I just got a call from Easy Money," he said. Devlin stopped typing. "What'd he say?" he asked. "He said that your hunch about where Frankie 1 and 2 are hiding was right on the money. They're hiding out at Frankie 2's dead grandma's house." Devlin chuckled. "Stupid sons of bitches. Thinking they can hide from me," he muttered to himself. "Easy wants to know what you want him to do, Mr. Devlin," Vinnie said.

"Tell Easy to go earn his keep and find that damn bitch who has my property," Devlin answered. "I want you and Gino to go over there and take care of them 2 dumb fuckers." Vinnie nodded without saying a word. He turned on his heel and started to walked out. He turned back around when Devlin called his name. "I fucking mean what I say about them, Vinnie! They better not live to make it to a fucking police precinct! Cause if they do, your ass will be grass! You understand me, Vinnie?!" Vinnie put on his sunglasses and nodded. "Loud and clear, Mr. Devlin. They won't make it anywhere. You've got my word on that."

Devlin waved a dismissive hand, letting Vinnie know that he could leave. He went back to typing on his laptop. He let out a heavy contented sigh as he smirked. _"Damn! It feels good to be the king!"_

**

* * *

**

Friday, August 25  
Home of the late Hezrietta Torres  
Long Island, NY, 5:00 p.m.

Vinnie and Gino were hiding out in the boarded up vacant house that was across from the home of the late Hezrietta Torres when the police started arriving to capture Franco Holland and Francisco Torres. They had ridden motorcycles over to Long Island, hiding them at a cousin of Gino's home about 4 blocks away. They were both armed with sniper rifles. "Hey, Vinnie," Gino said. He was looking through a hole he had bored through one of the plywood boards that was in the window. "Check out the big guy. I think I've seen him before on television or something."

Vinnie looked through the plywood board hole of the window he was standing near. He saw Bobby and Alex. "You probably have. That's Detective Goren," he replied. "The small blonde thing is his partner, Eames. They came by the house the other day, busting Mr. Devlin's chops about Brewster and Lowell." Gino grunted. He said, "Whatcha want to do? We can take them all out one at a time." Vinnie shook his head as he watched the police evacuate people from their homes. "Nah, we just wait and let the police catch Frankie 1 and 2. Once they bring them out, we take them out and get outta here." "Okay, Vinnie." They watched the activity that was going on in silence.

Gino and Vinnie didn't have to wait too long before the SWAT team, followed by Alex and Bobby, stormed the house. "Heads up, Gino," Vinnie said as he put the business end of his rifle through the hole. "I've got Franco. You take Francisco." Gino took up the exact same stance as Vinnie. When uniformed officers brought Franco Holland and Francisco Torres out in handcuffs, they both took aim and fired, shooting each man between the eyes with one shot. Vinnie and Gino dropped the rifles and ran out the back door, escaping unseen amid all of the confusion.

**

* * *

**

Friday, August 25  
Major Case Squad Room, 9:55 p.m.

"Yes, sir," Captain Ross said. "Yes, Chief. I understand. As soon as my detectives let me know something, I will let you know. Very well, sir. Goodbye." Ross blew out a breath as he hung up his phone. He reached into the top drawer of his desk, pulling out a bottle of aspirin. He shook out 2 pills and put them in his mouth. Then he took a drink of water, letting the pills dissolve a little bit before he swallowed them. Talking to the Chief of Detectives always gave Ross a headache, especially when something as simple as bringing in suspects turns into a murder scene. He sighed as he stood and headed towards the squad room.

Bobby and Alex were both sitting at their desks when Ross came out. He looked at them and asked, "What happened out there?" "The shots were fired from a vacant house that's across the street from the Torres house," Alex said. "2 sniper rifles were left behind. There were no fingerprints on them. The serial numbers looked to be burned off with some sort of acid." "Which means the weapons are probably stolen, rendering them untraceable," Bobby said.

Ross grunted. "The Chief of Ds is breathing down my neck about this. I'd like to be able to give him some kind of good news." "The only good news we can give you is that the Narcotics Squad has had Frank Devlin under surveillance ever since we found his jump drive," Alex said. "Wonderful. Just wonderful," he said. "Anything else Narcotics was willing to share with us?" Bobby handed some papers to Ross and said, "That's some of the information contained on Devlin's jump drive. He's got a list of his suppliers and buyers on that thing. He's got their personal information as well as their strengths and weaknesses. He could use that to blackmail people if he needed to."

* * *

"Geez. Devlin's got his hooks into a lot of different people," Ross said. He handed the papers back to Bobby as he rubbed his forehead. "Does Devlin know that we have Eric and Eden Anderson in custody?" Alex shook her head. "According to what Lt. Garcia told us, he prefers to have his victims killed on the outside. Devlin thinks that killing somebody in jail is too cliché." Ross shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Such a gentleman," he said sarcastically. "Just in case Devlin decides to change his mind, I've got some favors to call in. I'll arrange for some sort of protection for them. In the meantime, I want you two to finish writing up your reports and then head home for some rest. I'll see you here bright and early in the morning." Ross nodded at them and then walked off.

It was after midnight when Alex and Bobby finished writing their reports. Alex let out a small yawn while she waited for the elevator. "I'll be glad when this madness is over," she said. Bobby nodded silently. "Yeah, so will I," he said. She looked up at her partner, a concerned look on her face. "Bobby, you okay?" He sighed heavily. "I…I'm okay." The elevator doors opened, the partners got inside without saying a word.

Bobby slid into the passenger seat and fastened the seat belt. Alex did the same thing before she started the SUV. "Home or hospital?" she asked. "Home, please," he answered. "I'll go to the hospital tomorrow afternoon." Alex put the vehicle into gear and headed out of the garage and onto the street. "Angel will be okay eventually, you know," she said softly. Bobby sighed, nodding his head as he looked out the window. "That's what my heart keeps telling me," he said.

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Residence of Frank James Devlin, 4:30 p.m.

"She's at Hudson Medical Center, admitted under the name of Laurel Goren," said the tall, bronzed and bald headed man that stood looking out of the window in Frank Devlin's study. Devlin was sitting behind his desk, his lips pursed. "I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere in there, Easy Money," he said. The private investigator named Easy Money looked over his shoulder at Devlin, flashing his pearly whites. "The nurse I talked to gave me her real name after looking at a picture of her. It's Angelica Pierson-St. John. She was famous back in the late 90s. Anyway, I managed to make it to the floor she's on. There's a uniformed officer standing guard outside her door."

Devlin laughed. "Damn, Easy Money. You should have gone in there and killed her for me. You could have earned quadruple of what's in this case," he said, patting a small leather briefcase that was on his desk. Easy Money frowned. "Frank James, you pay me to gather information and report back to you. You don't have enough money to pay me to kill anybody." "True. You're pretty expensive when it comes to needing a hit carried out."

* * *

Easy Money chuckled then he turned his attention back out of the window. "You gonna tell me how you plan on shaking off these cops that are out here watching you?" he asked. "Simple," Devlin said. "I plan on going out through my basement tunnel. I'll be in and out before they realize I'm gone." Easy Money laughed, shaking his head. "I used to think you were crazy for having that damn tunnel." "Of course I'm crazy. Crazy like a fox." "I'm not gonna argue with you about that one, Frankie Devil."

Easy Money turned away from the window. He shook Devlin's hand as he picked up the briefcase. "Pleasure doing business with you, Frankie," he said. Devlin nodded, a sly smile on his face. "I'll see you in Cancun next month," he said. Easy Money nodded his head and walked out the door. As soon as Easy Money was out of sight, Devlin pulled a Sig Sauer .45 out of the top drawer of his desk, checking the clip. He smiled even bigger as he lovingly caressed the gun. _"Angelica Pierson-St. John, tonight you meet your maker."_


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Notes: Yes, I know what I said in my profile about this being the last chapter. However, I keep forgetting how much I write. LOL I was over 5,000 words when I decided I'd just make another chapter. So, those of you waiting for the (possible) rescue, it's coming. Hopefully, I'll have it up before I leave for my Thanksgiving vacation (4 days of being without a computer! What in the world was I thinking. LOL) As always, I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read and/or review. I do appreciate it. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin in my imagination for a while. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Hudson Medical Center  
Angel's Room, 4:30 p.m.

Bobby was standing in the back corner, staring straight ahead as he rode the elevator up to Angel's room. There were 5 other people riding with him, all of them female nurses. They were either staring at him directly or casting looks at him over their shoulders. The reason for all of this attention? He was carrying a large wooden picnic basket in one hand and a vase filled with a dozen purple roses in the other hand. Bobby was feeling very uncomfortable with all of this unwanted attention.

"She must be very special," the young nurse standing next to Bobby said to the nurse standing next to her. "Either that or he's having to apologize big time," the other nurse replied. The other nurses snickered. Bobby smiled, taking the gentle ribbing all in stride. "She…She's very special," he said quietly. The elevator stopped on Bobby's floor. "Excuse me, ladies" he said as he made his way towards the open doors. "Well, if Ms. Special decides she doesn't want to be special any more, you can find me on the next floor," the young nurse said to Bobby before the doors closed. He just smiled as he walked down the hall to Angel's room. _"I'm old enough to be her father," _he thought to himself.

* * *

Bobby frowned as he neared Angel's room. The uniformed officer that was assigned to protect her wasn't sitting in the chair that outside of the room and the door was ajar. His police instincts kicked into high gear as he slowly pushed the door open further and walked inside. Except for the furniture and equipment that was already there, the room was empty. Bobby placed the basket and vase on the rollaway table as he looked around.

There were a couple of folded newspapers laying on the foot of the bed and Angel's duffel bag was in a chair. A hospital gown was laying on the back of the chair as well. Bobby picked it up, put it to his nose and inhaled deeply. "Angel," he said softly. He put the gown back down. He noticed that the bathroom door was closed, but there was a light coming out from underneath. He took his gun out of its holster, making sure the safety was off before he cautiously approached the door.

Bobby took a deep breath before he threw the door open and stepped inside, gun first. He looked around the small room and behind the door. It was empty. "Shit!" he said as he walked out of the bathroom. He opened the picnic basket and pulled out a police radio walkie talkie, slipping it into his jacket pocket and clipping his badge onto the outside of his jacket. He walked out of the room with his gun held down by his side. Bobby was about to head towards the nurses' station when a nurse walked right by him. "Um, excuse me, Nurse," he said. She turned around and smiled at him. "Can I help you, Officer?" she asked. Her nametag read "Foster."

"Uh, I hope so," Bobby said. "Do you know where the patient who occupied this room went to?" "I saw her and an uniformed officer go that way about 2 hours ago," Nurse Foster replied, pointing in the direction she had just come from. "Th…thank you, Nurse Foster," Bobby said. "You're welcome." He took off in the direction she had pointed. An overwhelming feeling of dread filled Bobby as he walked down the hall, periodically checking rooms for any sign of Angel or the mysterious uniformed officer. _"God! A 2 hour head start! Angel's dead because of me. She trusted me with her life and I let her down. Dammit! I should've stayed here!"_

* * *

Bobby was about to give up his search and call for reinforcements when he reached the waiting room. It had a glass door and wall. Inside, he saw Angel and the mysterious uniformed officer, who was sitting with his back closest to the door. They were seated next to the windows, their chairs turned so that they could look out. Bobby took a deep breath to compose himself before he opened the door and walked in.

Angel and the uniformed officer both turned their heads when the waiting room door opened. Bobby saw that the person in the uniform was Officer Darren. Angel's smile quickly became a frown when she saw that Bobby had his gun drawn. He quickly put it back into the holster. "Hey, Detective Goren," Officer Darren said as he stood up. "Your wife and I were just sitting here shooting the breeze." "I see," Bobby replied. He leaned down and kissed Angel's cheek. "What are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

"Dr. Morton said I could walk around a little bit," Angel answered slowly. "Oh, okay," Bobby said. He could see that Angel was still a little bothered by the sight of him with his gun in his hand. He turned to Officer Darren and said, "I came by to give you a break." "Thanks, Detective Goren," Officer Darren replied. "You're welcome. Just let me go back to her room to get some things. Then you can take off for a little bit." "Okay. We'll be right here." Bobby smiled at Angel, then he turned around and walked out of the door.

* * *

"Oh my!" Angel softly exclaimed when Bobby returned with the picnic basket and roses. He handed her the vase. Officer Darren left as soon as Bobby stepped into the waiting room. She placed the roses to her nose, inhaling their fragrance deeply. "Thank you, Bobby. They're beautiful." "You're welcome," he said as he kissed her forehead. He headed towards an empty table that was in the back of the room. He placed the basket on the table and took out its contents. Angel put the vase in the window. Using the arms of the chair, she pushed herself up, grabbing her I.V. pole to maintain her balance. She slowly walked over to where Bobby was standing.

"How come you're not in your hospital gown?" Bobby asked. Angel was wearing an oversized gray t-shirt with black trim on the sleeves and collar, baggy black knee length shorts and black slippers. Her hair was held back loosely by a ponytail holder. "I actually took a full fledged shower this morning," Angel replied when she reached his side. "Dr. Morton and Faylene were very upset that I had taken my I.V. needles out." He looked at her and sighed, shaking his head. "Angelica," he said in an exasperated voice. She touched his arm. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be difficult. I just got tired of feeling icky," she said.

Bobby turned his body towards Angel, his arms folded across his chest. She turned and copied his stance. He leaned forward, his nose a mere 3 inches from hers. "From now on, you are to follow Dr. Morton's and the nurses' orders to the letter. Comprende?" he said. Angel stared at him for a few seconds before she sighed, nodding her head. "Si, Papi Chulo. Yo comprendo," she said with a smile. Bobby smiled and said, "Thank you." She leaned forward, kissing him on the lips.

Angel kissed Bobby's forehead once they came up for air. "I love you," she said softly as she caressed his cheek. "Ditto," he said, kissing the inside of her wrist. She took a hold of the I.V. pole. "I'm starvin' like Marvin. What'd you bring to eat?" Bobby laughed as he focused his attention to the items on the table. "I brought spaghetti with meaty marinara sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, garlic bread, sweet tea and fudge brownies," he said as he pointed to each container. Angel clapped her hands. "I'm impressed. Everything smells great."

"Thank you," Bobby said as he pulled a couple of chairs over for them to sit in. He took off his jacket, placing it on the back of one of the chairs. Angel sat down and watched him as he put the food onto the paper plates and poured the tea into plastic cups. Once he sat down, Bobby and Angel both picked up their cups and said, "Salud." They talked occasionally between bites of food.

* * *

Angel helped Bobby clean up their trash when they had finished eating. He followed her to the chairs that were in front of the windows. "Dr. Morton said I could probably go home on Monday," Angel said as she sat down, tucking one leg underneath her. "That's great," Bobby said. She looked at him. "Am I going to be under police protection when I leave here?" she asked. He sighed heavily, nodding his head. "I'm afraid so," he replied. "For how long?" "I don't know, sweetheart. Until we're able to put this criminal named Frank Devlin away for good. Eden has convinced him that you have something that belongs to him. He will kill you to get it back."

"Oh," Angel said. She looked down at her hands. A single tear hit the back of her hand. She looked at Bobby and asked, "What about us?" He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. _"You've got tell her what you told the captain," _he thought to himself. _"Don't start shutting her out now." _"Captain Ross asked me if there was something going on between me and you," he said. "I…I told him there wasn't anything." Angel looked down at her hands again. She squeezed each of her fingers. "Oh, okay," she said softly. _"There is no 'us' any more. When did that happen?" _she thought to herself.

Bobby got out of the chair and knelt down in front of Angel, holding onto the chair arms for support. "Angel, please look at me," he said softly. She lifted her head a little to look him in the eye. "I told him that because I didn't want him to take me off of this case," Bobby explained. "I want…NEED to make sure that this crazy son of a bitch who is after you doesn't get his hands on you. We are still an 'us.' I'm not going to turn my back on you and our relationship. If Ross finds out about us and decides to take me off the case, so be it. You…you are more important to me than this case."

"I don't want you to get into trouble because of me," Angel said quietly. Bobby chuckled lightly. "I can handle any trouble that comes along," he said. "I just want to make sure we're okay." She gave him a small smile and nodded her head. "We're okay." He smiled back at her. Just then, Officer Darren and Nurse Faylene walked in. "Are you proposing to your wife again, Detective Goren?" Nurse Faylene asked. Angel and Bobby both laughed. "Uh, no. We're just having a heart to heart talk," Bobby said as he stood up.

"Oh, I see," Faylene said. She smiled as she looked at Angel. "Well, I hate to spoil such a romantic outing, but you've been out of your room long enough. Let's go." Angel sighed as she got out of the chair with some assistance from Faylene. Bobby held the vase of roses out to Officer Darren. "Walk ahead of them," he said. The young officer nodded as he took the vase. He went to the door, holding it open for Angel and Faylene. Bobby put on his jacket as he watched them head back to Angel's room. He picked up the picnic basket and then walked out of the waiting room.

* * *

Officer Darren walked into the empty room first, checking to make sure everything was okay before letting Faylene and Angel enter. "You can come in now," he said as he put the vase on the table next to the bed. "Thank you, Officer Darren," Angel said. "You're welcome, Mrs. Goren." Angel pressed her lips together to keep herself from correcting him. _"I'm not Bobby's wife."_ She just smiled at him before he turned around and went to his post.

Angel sat down in the reclining lounge chair that had been moved next to the bed. "Don't you want to get into bed?" Faylene asked. Angel shook her head. "No, I just want to sit here," she replied. "Alright. Let me check your vitals then I'll be out of your hair." Bobby walked in just as the nurse began to check Angel's blood pressure. He leaned down and kissed Angel's forehead. "I gotta go. I'll be back soon," he said. "Okay. See ya," she said. He leaned down again and whispered in her ear, "When you get out of here, we've got to talk about some things." She looked at him. "Like what?" she asked. Bobby touched Angel's stomach with his index finger. "Like our possible future," he answered.

Bobby kissed Angel's cheek, then stood up straight. "Love you," he said over his shoulder as he walked out. She smiled. "Love you, too," she replied as she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. _"Bobby wants to start a family...with me?" _she thought to herself. She softly exclaimed aloud, "Wow!"

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Neighborhood of Frank James Devlin, 7:05 p.m.

The security guard sitting behind the wheel of his patrol car repeatedly tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He let down the front passenger side window and said, "Dammit, Marty! Hurry the hell up!" Marty was standing behind a tree. "Geez, Cliff! Shut the hell up! I'm trying to take a leak here!" Cliff, the driver, muttered a string of curses under his breath as he shook his head. Marty finally emerged from behind the tree, zipping up his pants. "It's about damn time!" Cliff said when Marty got into the car. Marty said, "Quit your bitching, Cliffy! You nag and complain more than my 3rd wife. Where's the hand sanitizer?"

"Check in the glove box, jackass!" Cliff said. Cliff Barnes and Martin "Marty" Sanders were both retired NYPD officers who had been partners since the day they graduated from the police academy. When Cliff decided to retire, it only seemed fitting that Marty should retire at the same time. After having been retired for a year, Cliff and Marty both decided that they missed being on the force. So, they signed up for and got hired by a security firm.

"Why am I partners with the freaking Grinch over here?" Marty said as he opened the glove compartment. He reached inside and pulled out a small bottle of hand sanitizer. He poured some into his hands, then rubbed it on. As he was putting the bottle back into the glove compartment, Marty looked up the street and noticed a dark figure come out from between 2 houses. He hit Cliff on the arm and said, "Hey. Ain't that Frank Devlin?" Cliff turned his head to see what Marty was talking about. "Yeah, that's him," he replied.

* * *

"Didn't Sergeant Chambers say something about him at the Tuesday night poker game?" Cliff asked. Marty nodded. "Yeah, he sure did. Said that Narcotics has him under surveillance because they think he's trying to kill somebody in protective custody." Cliff started the car. "You call Chambers and tell him what's going on while we follow him." "Gotcha." Marty pulled out his cell phone and dialed. He spoke to the sergeant while Cliff drove the car slowly behind Devlin. "Chambers is getting an alert issued now," Marty said after he closed his phone. "He wants us to try to stall him until they get here."

Cliff nodded his head as he sped up the car just a little bit to catch up with Frank Devlin. "Good evening, Mr. Devlin," Marty said. The patrol car was now keeping pace with Devlin. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. When he stopped, the car stopped. Devlin turned around to watch Cliff and Marty get out of the car. "Good evening, gentlemen," he said with a fake smile pasted on his face. "Anything I can do for you?" Marty shook his head. "No, sir. We just observed you coming from between those 2 houses back there. We were just wondering if there was anything back there that we needed to investigate."

Devlin grunted. He was slightly amused by Marty's attitude. He looked both guards up and down. "There's nothing back there to investigate," he replied. "I'm merely out for a walk to clear my head." "If you don't mind, Mr. Devlin, we'd like for you to come with us while we go back there and investigate for ourselves," Cliff said. Devlin narrowed his eyes. He sighed dramatically and said, "As a matter of fact, I do mind."

Before either Cliff or Marty could react, Devlin had reached behind his back and pulled out his gun. He shot each man twice in the heart. He had sprinted half way up the block before their bodies hit the ground.

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Hudson Medical Center  
Visitor Information Desk, 8:20 p.m.

"May I help you, sir?" the middle aged brunette woman asked Frank Devlin when he approached her. He gave her one of his disarming smiles. "Yes, you can," he said. "I dropped my wife off here to visit a friend. She told me the room number, but I completely forgot it." "Well, do you know your wife's friend's name?" "Yes. It's Laurel Goren." The woman smiled at him as she began typing the name into the computer. She wrote down the room number on a piece of paper and handed it to Devlin. She pointed down the hall and said, "You can take the elevators that are down this hall. They'll put you closer to her room." He said, "Thank you. I'm sure Laurel will be surprised to see me." He smiled, then headed in the direction she had pointed.

Nurse Faylene had walked passed the information desk when she overheard Devlin say 'Laurel Goren.' She stopped near the exit doors, watching the woman behind the desk give the information to Devlin. When he walked off toward the elevators, she rushed to catch up with him. Devlin was getting on the elevator when Faylene finally caught up with him. "Excuse me, sir," she said as she got on with him. "Mrs. Goren is not allowed to have any other visitors without permission from Dr. Morton. I'm afraid you're going to have to come back later."

"Oh, I didn't know that," Devlin said as he pushed the button to close the elevator doors. He sighed, then shrugged. "Oh, well. I guess I can wait." "Sorry, sir," Faylene said. "Actually, you're the one who's about to be sorry," Devlin said with a smile. A puzzled look crossed her face. Before she knew it, he had hit her in the nose with the bottom of his open palm with such force that her nose started bleed. She fell backwards, hitting her head against the wall. Faylene was knocked out cold.

"I'll go where I damn well please," Devlin said to Faylene's unconscious form as he pushed the button that would take him to the floor Angel was on.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's notes: Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I must give credit and thanks for the words of the wise woman that Bobby thinks about to The Mominator (a.k.a. MARY T for those of you not yet familiar with her new pen name). She used those words in a review of this story. They stuck with me, so I knew I had to use them. This is the last chapter for this story, but don't fear. I'm getting ready for the sequel (after I write a chapter for "Cecelia Rose" that is). Thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed this story, placed it, me or anything I have written on their Favorite or Alert list. I truly appreciate it. I'm always amazed to look at the traffic counter and see that someone's actually reading something I wrote. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just taking them for a spin in my imagination for a little while. Read, review and enjoy. :o)**

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Major Case Squad Room, 8:30 p.m.

Captain Ross had just walked over to Alex's and Bobby's desks to hand them some signed reports when Lt. Antonio Garcia dashed into their area. "Frank Devlin's on the loose," he said. "On the loose where, Lt. Garcia?" Ross asked. "We think he's on his way to the hospital." The captain sighed heavily. Alex and Bobby were already out of their seats and grabbing bulletproof vests before Ross said anything to them. Lt. Garcia ran after them as they headed towards the elevators. "Be careful out there," Ross shouted at them.

"How in the hell did Devlin get away from your guys, Tony?!" Bobby asked when the elevator doors closed. "I don't know, Bobby!" he replied. "He managed to get out without anybody seeing him." Bobby blew out a breath as he ran his fingers through his hair. He stood toe to toe with Tony. "Frankie Devil is cleaning house! He's going to kill anyone who gets in his way! Especially an innocent woman who he thinks has something that belongs to him!" "Chico, don't you think I know that?!" Tony countered, poking Bobby in the chest. "I'm busting my balls trying to keep tu corazón from getting killed! Don't you FUCKING DARE think I'm not on my job!"

Alex pushed herself between Tony and Bobby to separate them. "Stop it! Both of you!" she said. Bobby backed away, throwing his hands up. Alex gave him a hard look. "Now is not the time for you to lose your cool, Bobby! You know this! You need to be focused if we're going to catch this crazy psycho and bring Angel out of this situation alive!" Bobby leaned against the wall, looking back and forth between Tony and Alex. When the elevators doors opened, he blew out a breath as he pushed himself off the wall. As he walked out, Bobby said, "I'm cool. I'm so cool that I'm fucking ice cold."

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Hudon Medical Center, 8:45 p.m.

"Alright, I copy that," Officer Darren said into his walkie talkie. He had just been informed to be on the lookout for Frank Devlin. He stood up, placing the radio back on his belt. He knocked on Angel's door. "Come in," she said. He opened the door and saw her walking towards the bathroom. "You need something, Officer Darren?" Angel asked. He shook his head. "No ma'am. Just making sure you're okay. I'm going down the hall for a quick minute." He didn't want to alarm her about anything. She smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll be here." He smiled before closing the door.

Officer Darren walked slowly down the hall, on his way to the nurses' station. He quickened his pace and took out his gun when he heard screaming and a gunshot. The young nurse he had dinner with came out of a patient's room. "Go back inside!" Officer Darren barked as he passed her. When he reached the nurses' station, he found Frank Devlin firing a few shots into the elevator. "NYPD! Put down your weapon!" Devlin just turned around and shot him in the arm and chest.

The nurse that Officer Darren told to stay inside of the room came running out of her hiding place. She managed to drag him to the supply closet while Devlin fired at them, emptying his clip. She slammed and locked the door. "Hang on, Kenny," she said as she looked for something to stop his bleeding. Officer Darren groaned in pain as he reached for his radio to report the situation. "I repeat, shots fired at Hudson Medical! Officer down! Shooter is Frank Devlin. He's armed and dangerous. Approach with extreme caution."

* * *

Frank Devlin put a fresh clip into his Sig Sauer .45 as he walked down the hall to Angel's room. He opened the door and walked inside. He narrowed his eyes at the closed bathroom door. He went and sat on the edge of the bed to wait. He raised his gun, pointing it at the door when he heard water running. Angel walked out of the bathroom pushing the I.V. pole ahead of her, unaware of the danger that was in the room with her. As she turned off the light, Frank Devlin said, "Hello, Laurel Goren."

Angel turned her head slowly towards the unfamiliar voice. She held onto the I.V. pole with both hands. Devlin laughed as he stood up with the gun pointed at her head. "Or should I say, 'Hello, Angelica Pierson-St. John?'" he said. He laughed harder as her eyes widen in surprise. She gripped the I.V. pole tighter. "Fear. That's good. I feed on fear," he said menacingly. He shot at the walls on either side of Angel's head twice, causing her to let out a small yelp. "Go ahead and scream your head off. That'll only hasten your death." Angel bit her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming.

Devlin walked closer to Angel, jamming the muzzle of his gun hard against the bandage on her forehead. Her eyes watered at the pain. "You have something that belongs to me, Angelica," he said through clenched teeth. "I want it back before I blow your pretty little head off." She slowly shook her head. "I…I…I don't have anything of yours," she said quietly. Devlin chuckled, shaking his head. "Why do people always say that?" he wondered aloud. "That really pisses me the fuck off!" With his free hand, he yanked the I.V. needles out of her arm and flung the I.V. pole across the room.

* * *

Angel let out a small scream as Frankie Devil put his forearm across her throat, pressing her against the wall. She struggled to breathe as she clawed desperately at his arm, trying to remove it. The more Angel struggled, the harder Devlin pressed the gun against her forehead and his arm across her throat. "Tell me where my property is, bitch! I might consider not choking the shit out of you!" Devlin spat. Angel didn't even attempt to say anything. Instead, she gathered her wits about her and did 2 things: kicked Devlin in the leg and scratched his face.

Devlin stumbled back just enough for Angel to get out of his grasp. She made a break for the door, but he recovered quickly from her unexpected attack. He stuck out his foot and tripped her. The tumble Angel took stunned her a little. Devlin reached down and pulled her up to her knees by her hair and t-shirt. He jammed the gun in her face, causing a small cut across the bridge of her nose that started to bleed. "You do that shit again, I will not hesitate to put a bullet through your head," he said as he pulled Angel to her feet.

Angel pressed her lips together tightly. The pain in her head and arm was excruciating, but she was not about to give Devlin the satisfaction of knowing that. He gripped her tightly by the back of her neck, pushing her through the door ahead of him. He was taking her down the hall. _"Bobby, where are you?" _Angel thought to herself as a small tear rolled down her cheek.

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Hudson Medical Center  
Ground Floor Level, 9:10 p.m.

"You really need to stop beating yourself up over there," Alex said. Bobby hadn't said anything since he got off the elevator at 1PP. He just got into the SUV and stared out of the window, brooding. She sighed heavily. "Look. About what I said earlier," she started to say, but he shook his head. "You're right," he said. "I need to focus before I get other people killed. I need to…get my feelings under control before someone uses them against me." Alex remained silent, preferring to listen to Bobby. When they pulled up to the hospital, the SWAT team was already there.

Alex and Bobby got out of their vehicle. He tossed his jacket into the backseat before putting on his vest. Alex did the same thing. Then they both walked towards the SWAT team commander. Lt. Antonio Garcia came up behind them, touching both detectives on the shoulder. "I just got word from a Sergeant Chambers that the bodies of retired NYPD officers Cliff Barnes and Marty Sanders were found in the middle of the street in Devlin's neighborhood," he said. "Two bullets through the heart." The blood drained out of Alex's face. "Oh my God!" she said in disbelief. "Cliff Barnes is…is dead?" Tony nodded. "Alex, what's wrong?" Bobby asked. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Cliff Barnes was my godfather," Alex said quietly. She was still slightly shocked by the news. "He and his family lived across the street from us when we were growing up. He moved about 2, 3 years ago when his wife died. Marty Sanders was his partner the whole entire time they were on the force. Dad always said that Marty was a hell of a poker player." She swallowed hard before putting on a brave, but stony face. She looked at Tony. Then she looked at Bobby. She pointed her index finger at them and hissed, "I want this fucking son of a bitch!" Tony and Bobby looked at Alex and said in unison, "Done." She nodded before turning on her heel, stalking towards the SWAT team commander. _"Alex is pissed off," _Bobby thought. _"This is about to get interesting."_

* * *

The SWAT team commander, Lieutenant Patrick Camden, had the plans and schematics of the hospital building rolled out onto the hood of his car when Bobby, Alex and Tony approached. He shook hands with all 3 of them before getting down to business. "We've managed to evacuate everyone from the ground floor up to the floor the shooter was last seen. Fortunately for us, the floor where the shooter is doesn't have very many patients up there," he said. "I just informed the detectives here that our shooter has killed 2 retired NYPD officers in his neighborhood," Lt. Garcia said. "Are there any casualties here?"

Lt. Camden frowned as he shook his head. "No. Just injuries," he replied. "He's broken a nurse's nose. Her name is Faylene Duncan. The shooter took random shots at the other nurses that were on the floor he got off on as he forced them onto the elevator. A couple of them have superficial wounds." "What about Officer Darren? He was guarding a potential witness." "The last thing we heard was that he and Nurse Jennifer Kelley were hiding in a supply closet. He took a couple of rounds in his arm. She dragged him to safety."

"So, what are we doing?" Alex asked. Camden handed them each a radio, then pointed at the plans and said, "I've got teams searching the evacuated floors via the stairs and the elevators." Bobby looked at the plans, then at the building. "This…hospital was renovated 2 years ago," he said. He pointed to an elevator shaft. "Are you using this service elevator as a part of your search?" Camden shook his head. "That old service elevator isn't used any more since the new service elevators were installed. It's been turned off."

"But the control room to this old elevator is on the floor where the shooter is!" Bobby said. "The shooter will probably try to escape using this." Camden sighed heavily. "I'm well aware of that, Detective," he said. He pointed across the way at a middle aged man dressed in a polo shirt and khakis. "He's the head of the maintenance department. He assures me that the door to that particular control room is locked and that he has the only key."

* * *

Bobby opened his mouth to say something, but he thought better of it. "Fine," he said tersely. Lt. Camden narrowed his eyes at him before he picked up his rifle. "Follow me," he said as he headed towards the entrance of the hospital. Alex, Tony and Bobby followed behind him. When they walked in, Bobby took a look around at his surroundings. Something was bothering him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then it hit him. _"Devlin knows how to pick locks. He could easily pick the lock to that old service elevator." _

"Lt. Camden, I want to go check out the old service elevator for myself," Bobby said. Camden stopped in his tracks. "Fuck," he muttered softly under his breath as he turned around to look at Bobby. "Detective Goren, why in the hell do you want to check out that damn elevator?! Is my word and judgment not good enough for you?!" Bobby stepped up to him. Alex and Tony exchanged semi-worried glances. "It's not that I don't trust your word and judgment, Lt. Camden," Bobby said. "It's more of a…a need to satisfy my own curiosity." He and the SWAT team commander stared at each other for a few minutes.

Camden blew out a breath. "Fine. Go right ahead and satisfy your damn curiosity then!" he snapped. "Then when you're done chasing your tail, maybe you'd like to join the rest of us for the real mission!" He turned around and walked off. "You want us to go with you?" Alex asked. Bobby shook his head, clipping the radio to his belt. "No. Just let me check this out for myself. Then I'll catch up with you." He headed off towards the old service elevator alone. Tony and Alex followed Camden.

**

* * *

**

Saturday, August 26  
Hudson Medical Center, 9:25 p.m.

Frank Devlin found some clear plastic cable ties on the floor by the nurses' station desk as he and Angel walked down the hall. He pushed her down into a chair so that he could bind her hands together in front of her. She didn't look at him or say anything as he pulled the cable tie tightly around her wrists. She kept staring at the ground, looking at the trail of blood on the floor. _"Where's Officer Darren? Is that his blood?" _she thought. The sad look on Angel's face made Devlin laugh. "Yeah, that's that punk police officer's blood," he said. "If he doesn't get those bullets out of him soon, he'll die from blood loss." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Big fucking deal. One less cop in the world."

Angel looked up at Devlin, a shocked look on her face. She opened her mouth, but then quickly pressed her lips together. _"How can you have such pleasure in taking a human life?" _she thought to herself. Devlin chuckled. He leaned down and said, "I don't give a fuck about anyone or anything. As long as my wants and needs are met, the world is a safe place. But if my world is messed up, then chaos will reign until order is restored in my world again." He searched her gray eyes.

"I'll be damned," Devlin said. "I wondered why Eden was wearing gray contacts. Now, I know why." Angel turned her head to the side when he began to stroke her cheek. "Beautiful light skin. Just the type of woman Davey loved getting blowjobs from." He straightened up, looking down at her with a lecherous glint in his eye. "I bet you like to be called Angel," he said. "Makes all the men you've fucked feel like they're getting a slice of heaven when they tap that ass. Davey must have been in heaven when you wrapped those pretty lips around his dick."

* * *

Angel mentally shuddered at the thought of David Brewster touching her. _"Not in a million years would I go near that fool."_ Devlin laughed at the disgusted look on her face. "Davey's dick must have been too small for you," he said. She glanced up at him briefly before averting her eyes back to the blood trail on the floor. He pressed the gun hard against her lips, making her turn her head to look at him.

Angel's eyes widen in a mixture of fear and disgust as she watched Frank Devlin unzip his pants and pull out his manhood, stroking it up and down its shaft. "It will feel so wonderful when I get your mouth wrapped around this," he said as he moaned in pleasure. He removed the gun from her lips as he stepped forward and rubbed his penis against her face. Angel quickly pushed herself away from Devlin in the chair she was sitting in. She stood up when the chair hit the desk. Her gray eyes burned with defiance.

Devlin smirked as he pointed the gun at Angel. "This must be more dick than you have ever had. Probably bigger than that detective you fucked, Detective Goren." Angel kept a neutral look on her face at the mention of Bobby's name. "You wanna know how I know that detective fucked you?" Devlin asked as he zipped up his pants. Angel kept her mouth closed. She just stared at him. "Your silence speaks loudly. That tells me you did the nasty with him. Plus, you've got his last name as your alias. That means you mean something to him. The weak link in his armor."

Frankie Devil reached out and gripped Angel's upper arm. He pulled her down the hall towards the control room of the old service elevator. When they reached the control room, he made her lean against the wall next to the door. He put the palm of his hand against her forehead, knocking her head against the wall. The stunning blow caused Angel's eyes to water. She slid down the wall to the floor in pain.

Devlin scoffed as he put the gun in his waistband and pulled out his lock picking tools. He had the lock picked and the door open within 15 seconds. He went inside of the room and started flipping the switches to turn on the old service elevator. _"Dumb bastards," _he thought to himself. _"They forgot that my construction company worked on the renovations for this place."_ Once he was satisfied that the elevator was operational, Devlin took the gun out of his waistband. He walked back outside and yanked Angel back onto her feet.

* * *

"We're on our way out of here," Devlin said as he gripped the back of Angel's neck and led her towards the old service elevator. "Now that I have my hands on a cop's woman, they'll be more than willing to let me out of here." He pressed the down button. "I'm not worth anything, but they won't let you leave out of here," Angel said quietly. Devlin laughed as he pushed her into the elevator. She stumbled over her feet and fell onto the ground. He got on and pressed the button for the ground floor.

"You underestimate your value, Angel," Devlin said, a sly grin on his face. "NYPD will do whatever it takes to protect one of its own or their family members." Angel stared at her bound hands as she slowly shook her head. "I'm not with Detective Goren or anyone else on the NYPD force," she quietly lied. "My husband died 4 years ago. I've been alone since then." Frankie Devil knelt down and gripped her by the chin to lift her head. "Well, then whatever happens to you when I get out of here won't matter to anyone. You'll take me to my property. I'll have my fun with your body. Then I'll kill you. A brilliant and simple plan."

Devlin stood up to lean against the wall next to Angel. He aimed his gun at the top of her head as they rode down to the ground floor. She lowered her eyes to the ground to hide her tears. _"I wish I knew where you are, Bobby Goren. I need to tell you I love you before I die."_

* * *

Bobby slowly walked down the empty hallway to the old service elevator. Declan Gage's voice echoed in his mind. _"You have to assume the worst. You have to assume she's dead."_ Bobby knew those words applied to Alex when she had been kidnapped by Jo Gage, but he had to face the grim reality that those words applied to Angel as well. He had to face the reality that Frank Devlin would take her life without thinking about it. _"Frank Devlin, you son of a bitch! If you take Angel's life, I swear I will make you know the meaning of hell when I get through with you!"_

As Bobby approached the elevator, his ears picked up a faint humming sound. The humming sound grew louder when he turned the corner. He looked up at the elevator indicator and saw that the elevator was coming down. He went back to the corner, leaning with his back against the wall as he watched the numbers on the indicator count down to one. When the elevator doors opened, Bobby stepped away from his hiding place, gun aimed at the doors. "NYPD! Come out with your hands up in the air!" he said in a loud booming voice.

Bobby heard laughter coming from the elevator. "I don't fucking think so," Frank Devlin said loudly. He grabbed the back of Angel's neck, pulling her to her feet. "Walk," he said as he put the gun to the back of her head. She did as she was told. Bobby was slightly taken aback at seeing Angel come out of the elevator. _"She's bruised and bleeding," _he thought as he noticed the cut on her nose and the bruises on her arm. She quietly exhaled the breath she didn't realize she had been holding when she saw Bobby. Instead of feeling relieved at seeing him, Angel felt fear. Fear at the fact that this crazy man who was holding her captive would shoot him in cold blood just as he had done to Officer Darren.

* * *

"Detective Goren, we meet again," Devlin said. "What a pleasant surprise." "Put the gun down, Devlin," Bobby said. "There's no way you're walking out of here with a hostage." He took a couple of deep breaths to help him focus on resolving this situation as quickly as possible. Because he knew if the opportunity presented itself, he would put a bullet right between Devlin's eyes. Devlin clicked his tongue. "You honestly think I'm going to give up so easily?" He jammed the gun's muzzle against Angel's temple hard, causing her to whimper.

Bobby tensed up as his face hardened to stone at the thought of killing Frank Devlin flashed briefly through his mind. The words of a wise woman came to his mind as well. _"Never underestimate the actions of a man in love."_ Right now, right this minute those words rang very true. Devlin scoffed. "I've seen that look before, Goren. Trying to decide the best way to kill me without getting yourself in trouble, are you?" Bobby narrowed his eyes at Devlin's taunting words.

Frankie Devil chuckled. "You are such a pussy, Detective!" he said as he repeatedly hit Angel's temple with the gun. "As long as I have her, neither you nor your NYPD brethren can do a damn thing to me! Pretty Lady here has told me that she's not anyone's woman. Therefore, I know you really won't give a damn whether she lives or dies. I CONTROL her life!" Angel glanced briefly at Bobby before looking down at the ground. He regarded her with sadness in his heart. _"I do give damn about her. I gave her my heart," _he thought. Devlin positioned Angel between him and Bobby, his gun pointed at the back of her head.

* * *

"What are you going to do, Detective?" Devlin asked. "Let me kill her and walk out of here? Or let me walk out of here with her?" Neither option appealed to Bobby. Instead, he slowly raised his hands. "How about I trade with you? My life for her life?" he asked. Angel looked up at Bobby in horror as she watched him put his gun down on the floor and take a step away from it. She silently mouthed "No, Bobby" as tears fell down her face. He quickly glanced at her as he raised his hands again, focusing his attention on Devlin. Angel couldn't believe her eyes. She trembled a little as her fear of Bobby dying for her was coming true.

"Mi vida es no importante," Angel said softly. Frankie Devil smirked. "Of course, your life is not important. Your life as you know it will be over once I get out of here," he said with a smile. "John 15:13," Bobby said with conviction. Angel bit her bottom lip as she looked at him. _"I don't want you to die," _she thought. The look on her face told Bobby exactly what she was thinking. _"I don't want to die, either." _Devlin looked at Bobby. "Aww. Does someone want to have last rites said over them?" he asked mockingly.

Devlin pointed his gun at Bobby as he gripped the back of Angel's neck. "You know that bulletproof vest looks kind of thin," he said. "Like it 's not going to stop bullets." He cocked his head from one side to the other. He shrugged and said, "I don't know if these are armor piercing bullets I have or not. Oh, well there's only way to find out." Bobby fell backwards as Frank Devlin shot him 3 times in the chest.

* * *

Lt. Camden gave the hold position signal to the group he was leading, which included Alex and Tony, when the gunshots and the scream came over the radio. "All teams, hold your positions. I repeat, all teams hold your positions," he said into the radio. Alpha and Bravo teams radioed back that they were holding their positions. "Rick, where are those shots coming from?" Camden asked into the radio. "Don't know, Cam," Rick, leader of the Alpha Team, replied. Camden was about to ask the same question of the Bravo team leader when a female voice repeatedly shouted "Bobby!" over the air.

"That's coming from the old service elevator area!" Alex said. She recognized Angel's voice. She turned around and headed towards her partner with Tony following close behind her. Camden told Alpha and Bravo teams to hold their positions while they when to check out the disturbance.

* * *

Angel screamed as Bobby fell to the ground, his arms stretched out on either side of him. Without even thinking, she pulled away from Devlin's grip. She ran over to Bobby, falling down to her knees at his side. "Bobby! Bobby!" she yelled as she shook him. He didn't open his eyes. Devlin laughed at Angel as she continued to shake Bobby's seemingly lifeless form. She looked down at the 3 large bullet holes in the vest. She shook him again. "This is suppose to protect you," she said. She laid her body across his and sobbed, "Please, don't die! Don't go! Don't die!"

Devlin walked over and kicked Bobby's foot to make sure he was dead. Bobby still didn't move. "Hmmph! Serves your stupid ass right for getting in my way," he said. He reached down and grabbed a handful of Angel's t-shirt, pulling her up to look at him. He jammed the gun in her face and said, "You lied to me!" She looked at him with disgust. "Go to hell, you arrogant bastard!" she shouted. "You murdered an innocent man!" He leaned closer. "I'll go to hell when I get my property back and have you suck my dick, bitch!"

Devlin was so distracted talking to Angel that he didn't notice that Bobby was breathing. He put his hand on his gun. In one fluid motion, he sat up and put the muzzle of his gun in Devlin's face while grabbing tightly onto Devlin's wrist that held the gun. "Give me a FUCKING reason to pull the trigger, Frankie," Bobby said in a pained voice. Angel scooted away from them, shocked at seeing Bobby alive.

Bobby snatched Devlin's gun out of his hand and tossed it away. He recognized Alex's footsteps coming down the hall. "Clear!" he said in a loud voice. Alex, Tony, Lt. Camden and the rest of the SWAT team converged on Frank Devlin to take him into custody. Lt. Camden motioned for a couple of doctors and nurses to come into the area with stretchers. "You're a crazy son of a bitch, Chico," Tony snapped at Bobby as he helped him onto a stretcher. Bobby groaned and writhed in pain. "Shut the hell up, Tony," he said through gritted teeth as he was being taken away.

* * *

After Alex had cut away the plastic cable tie from her wrists, Angel had followed her into the emergency area where Bobby was. They stood next to Tony in a corner, watching the medical personnel take care of Bobby. He looked at them and gave them a thumbs up sign with a pained look on his face. "Ay Dios mió," Angel muttered quietly as a tear fell down her cheek. Tony put a comforting hand on her shoulder while Alex squeezed her hand. "He'll be okay," Alex said. _"He better be okay or I'll kick his ass." _

One of the nurses that worked on the floor where Angel had been staying walked up to her. "Mrs. Goren, you need to come with me so that the doctor can check out your injuries," she said. Angel shook her head. "I'm fine," she said as she continuing watching Bobby. The nurse, who couldn't have been no more than 25 or 26, put her hands on her hips. "You need to come with me NOW, Mrs. Goren," she said firmly. Angel turned her head and looked at the nurse. Her mind flashed back to 4 years ago, the day her late husband Garvin died. She was in the hospital room with him when he went into cardiac arrest. The nurse who first came into Garvin's room told Angel she had to leave. _"If he dies, he will not die alone," _she had said to that nurse.

"_If everyone thinks I'm Bobby's wife, then it's time to play the part," _Angel thought to herself. "Until my husband gets up and walks out of here on his own two feet, I'm NOT going anywhere," she said quietly aloud. The look on her face and the tone of her voice made the nurse take 2 steps back. Bobby lifted his head and said, "Angelica Marie, go with the nurse." She looked at him, shaking her head and biting her bottom lip. Another nurse walked over, lightly grabbing her hand. "Mrs. Goren, you can stay in this bed," she said as she pulled Angel towards an empty bed.

Angel laid down on the bed on her side, facing Bobby. He turned his head to look at her and smiled. "Hey, Beautiful," he said. "Hey, Handsome," she said through her tears.

**

* * *

**

Tuesday, August 29  
Angel's Home, 1:00 p.m.

"You're too quiet over there," Bobby said. He was driving Angel's purple Cadillac, the one DeMarco Anderson had left her in his will. She was sitting in the passenger's seat, looking out of the window and playing with her necklace. "What's going through your mind, querida?" She turned her head and smiled at him. "Not much. Just a lot of stuff," she said softly. "Anything you want to talk to me about?" he asked hopefully. Angel shook her head as she looked down at her hands. Bobby sighed heavily. _"Don't push her," _he thought to himself. _"She'll talk to you in her own time. Hell, we've got a lot to talk about besides this hostage thing."_

Bobby reached over and squeezed Angel's hand. "Well, you know you can talk to me whenever you're ready," he said. She placed her other hand on top of his hand. "Okay," she replied. She turned her head to look out of the window again. There was a black Saturn Vue with a red bow tied around it sitting in Angel's driveway when they pulled up to her home. "What in the world?" she said as she got out and walked over to inspect the new car.

Angel looked back at Bobby, a big smile on her face. "You get this for me?" she asked. He smiled as he shook his head. "No. Janelle and Drew did. They worked with your insurance to company to get you a new car." He unlocked the trunk and took out Angel's duffel bag. He closed the trunk lid, then reached out for Angel's hand. She gladly took his hand and let him lead her up the steps. He unlocked the door and stepped aside to let her walk in first.

After Bobby closed and locked the door, he dropped the bag onto the floor. Angel turned around and put her arms around his waist. "It's good to be home," she said. He gave her a squeeze. "I'm glad you're home, too," he said. He kissed her forehead before pulling away from her. "Come on. There's something in the yard you need to see." He took her hand and led her through the kitchen.

* * *

When Angel and Bobby stepped onto the porch, a loud group of voices yelled, "Welcome home, Angel!" She covered her mouth in surprise as she looked around the yard at the decorations and the people. Alex and her entire family, Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler were there. Janelle and Drew were there as well with Benjamin, Loretta, Eddie Lee, Jayson and Tonya and their kids. Lewis, Rob and Courtney. Even Sasha and Celena were in attendance. Bobby leaned down and whispered in Angel's ear, "I did this." She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you," she said before she walked down the steps. Bobby just smiled and watched as everyone came up to her.

Bobby and Angel were finally home alone when the welcome home party broke up around 6:00. They stood on the front porch, watching and waving as the last guest drove off. Bobby wrapped his arms around Angel's waist; she wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, then laid his forehead against hers. "You happy?" he asked. She nodded. "Very much."

Angel pulled back slightly to look up at him. "Thank you for saving my life," she said softly. Bobby smiled and said, "You're welcome." She bit her lip as she glanced briefly at the ground. "Are we ready to be an 'us' yet?" she asked. He shrugged. "If you're ready, then I'm ready." She thought for a second before she nodded, letting out a small contented sigh. She caressed his cheek and said, "I am ready. I love you, Bobby." He nuzzled his face in her hand. "I love you, too, Angel."


End file.
